The Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation (MFUCTO) have already begun arranging programmes all over the state inviting politicians and questioning them on educational issues. ``On August 21 at Dombivli, representatives from various political parties were invited and questioned on a wide spectrum of educational issues pertaining to pre-school to degree college level'', says C R Sadashivan, president of MFUCTO and Bombay University and College Teachers Union (BUCTU). Meetings have been scheduled in Dadar and Andheri on Sept 4 and 5.

The BUCTU and a city college principals' union, Association of Non-government Colleges (ANGC) joined hands to charter programmes and rallies on the crises in education to make sure thatprospective governments deliver.

Sadashivan observes that privatisation, liberalisation and globalisation in the post-1986, spelt disaster for education. Governments began to clip funds for education and private colleges mushroomed. Before 1983, for example, there were two engineering colleges. Today, there are 33. Most of them have little commitment, plus they demand exorbitant capitation fees, he adds.

Government aided institutes are no better, he contends. Flouting its own resolution, the state government is now demanding adherence to student strength in all years (instead of the first year only) at the graduation level for releasing grants. With unpredictable failures and drop-outs, several art and science subjects are therefore waiting to be axed.

Norms are flouted as well.Thus, a medical college like DY Patil, Navi Mumbai does not have the mandatory 700 bed hospital as per the provisions of the Medical Council Act forcing its students to flock to distant Rajawadi and Bhabha hospitals, pointed outSadashivan.

At the school level, the situation is no better. Veteran educationist, Principal M P Sharma, maintains that aided schools have been facing problems since 1991 when government expunged 12 per cent non-salary grant (for maintenance and repair) given to any aided schools. Now, schools get non-salary grant at the rate of 6, 9 or 12 per cent, based on their age, student strength etc.

Unaided schools face the uphill task of having to raise funds through `means other' than fee hikes. ``We are left begging,''says an aggrieved Sharma.

Rather than passively accept the situation Vidhayak Sansad, an organisation doing extensive research on educational matters in its latest study on the basis of official records observes, ``children who have not been to pre-primary school directly jump into primary school and thus lag behind in education. 35 per cent of the children in the age-group of 6-10 in Mumbai do not go to school at all''.

Jennifer Coutinho, a post-graduate member of Vidyarthi PragatiSanghatana (VPS), a student body says ``The election will not solve problems of students - it is better to rally around and struggle for ones rights,'' she says. Coutinho speaks for the other 500 VPS members in the city when she says that she does not believe in voting.

``Politicians have neglected education as well. Sonia Gandhi said that she will not allow another Kargil. What prevents her from vowing similarly on the Nagpur University paper scam?'' she asks. ``In fact when the Maharashtra Universities Act, 1994 bars college election, nominating the top ranker as representative, how can students be expected to vote?'' she observes.

Even the Sena-BJP state government failed to deliver inspite of frequent declarations on educational reforms - the suspension of the Pre-School Act is an example inspite of education minister Sudhir Joshi's conviction that it is the panacea of all ills, feels the educationists.

Enough is enough. Time to act, goes the common refrain.