Take out ‘educational qualification’ from Indians, and see them reduced to nothing

India’s entire matrimonial edifice in the family “arranged” wedding category stands on two key pillars: education and caste. Take away educational qualification from the applications of prospective brides and grooms, the entire structure will simply collapse. For, that is the basis on which this country’s men and women shortlist who they want to get married to. So, if an Indian says education is not important to make an assessment that would be hypocrisy with a straight face.

Formal education, in reality, is no indicator of a person’s character, ability or even worldview. Yet, few people judge education like Indians do. No wonder the fog around the issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualification refuses to clear. The Aam Aadmi Party recently breathed a fresh lease of life into the controversy with its campaign “Show your Degree”.

AAP’s demand

Amidst howls of opposition and disapproval from scores of Indians supportive of Modi, the AAP is trying to clarify, without much success, that it is not linking his ability to govern with his educational qualification. At the core of AAP’s demand is for the prime minister to prove beyond doubt that he is actually the holder of an MA degree that he claims to possess.

However, its leaders have also attempted to link India’s development to the alleged lack of education of the prime minister. In a social media post, AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was quoted saying, “An illiterate or less educated PM is very dangerous for the country.”

Also read: Sisodia attacks Modi: ‘PM being less educated is very dangerous for country’

Another senior AAP functionary Sanjay Singh, trying to set the record straight, was quoted as saying, “If you give wrong information (to the Election Commission) about your properties and degrees then your membership (of Lok Sabha) will be cancelled.”

The genuineness or otherwise of Modi’s degree can easily be ascertained through an inquiry. As with several other questions around the ruling dispensation, this however seems easier said than done.

Education and Indian society

But, let’s look at the contemporary context in which this entire controversy is being played out. In Indian society, education over the years has come to mean a new caste that people aspire for. The reason is justified. Education has the potential to free the underprivileged and marginalised from their disadvantaged backgrounds and propel them into freedom.

“Your qualification”, even if you already belong to a privileged class, gives you that extra halo, makes you more than acceptable in families while a fawning society gently fixes the crown of respect on your head. You may be the child of a wealthy scion — born with a silver, nay golden, spoon. The entire business of the parent is destined to pass on to you. You don’t need any college degree; all that was virtually handed over to you when you were in the womb.

Also read: Arvind Kejriwal steps up attack on PM Modi over degree issue

Yet, the trend is for you to acquire degrees from any of the top-notch universities around the world — Oxford, Stanford, Cambridge. It could just be a plain diploma, or a token certificate course, it doesn’t matter. Once you are “seasoned” with an Ivy League or Oxbridge tag, Indians, wide-eyed, would do anything for you including offering their sons or daughters in a “matrimonial alliance”.

In the formal marriage market, the more one is “qualified”, educationally that is, the higher the chances of a bride or groom who is also equally qualified, with status, economic wealth and class status thrown in for good measure. In some communities, it is widely known that the dowry given by the girl’s family to the groom is directly proportional to his educational qualification. Anyone can test this out by filling out an application in any of the matrimonial websites, one as a high-school pass and another as a BTech, MBA, and see the difference in the response from the families of prospective brides and grooms.

Overemphasis on high-end degree certificates

While education is important for its own sake and opportunities open up for high-achievers, the issue is the overemphasis on securing high-end degree certificates. There is no space, time or inclination to examine the individual’s traits — what sort of a person s/he is, their worldview, their extra-curricular abilities etc.

An individual may already be a successful and well-recognised award-winning politician, entrepreneur, sportsperson or an artiste. But what gives them the added gilt-edge is their educational qualification.

Also read: Gujarat HC quashes CIC order on Modi’s degree, imposes fine on Kejriwal

While there is no requirement for an elected MLA or MP to be formally educated, people try to ferret out their “educational qualification”. In 2004, when the UPA was voted to power, and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi announced Manmohan Singh as prime minister, there was an almost unanimous approval for the choice. Among other reasons for this was his “highly qualified” tag. It was widely reported at the time that he had secured a post-graduate degree in Economics. Singh had gone on to complete his Economics Tripos at the University of Cambridge and a DPhil (Doctorate) in Oxford.

For most Indians, his pedigreed education was good enough reason for him to be suitable for the top job. There were friends and colleagues who puffed up their chest in pride when referring to Singh as the prime minister. None, including the entire opposition, questioned Ms Gandhi’s choice.

A topic Modi supporters wish to avoid

In the case of Modi, as an individual who, for the most part, etched his own future within the Sangh Parivar, there has been pressure on him to exhibit his educational qualification though, legally speaking, that is not really necessary. For his supporters, however, even if they love education in private, this is one topic they would wish to avoid in the case of their beloved prime minister.

As much as they would like Modi to have the mind-boggling array of academic achievements like his predecessor, somehow that has continued to be shrouded in mystery. Sensing this to be a sensitive underbelly in the prime minister’s CV, the Aam Aadmi Party has gone to town demanding complete disclosure of his educational degrees, which includes MA in “Entire Political Science” from Gujarat University.

Also read: People stunned by Gujarat HC order on PM Modi’s degree: Kejriwal

Smarting from the continued bludgeoning it has received from the BJP in Delhi, including arrests of its top leaders, the AAP appears unwilling to accept the recent Gujarat High Court judgment which quashed the Central Information Commissioner order of 2016. The Court set aside the CIC order on the grounds that the information sought about his educational qualification was “personal” and had no bearing on the work he was doing as prime minister.

That may be so, and technically right as well. But, lest we forget, there are other similar questions as well which are personal and ideally should have remained confined within that space — like whether a person is married or not, if so, is it inter-caste or inter-faith, does an individual have children, what religion does one follow, what is one’s caste, what kind of food does a person eat, what dress is one wearing etc., etc., and etc.

The Gujarat court order freeing Modi from disclosing his educational qualification, in this context, contradicts the dominant narrative of our times. It goes against the mindset of a majority of Indians who, prima facie, would like to know the answer to all of the above “personal” questions. The AAP, as with its earlier marquee campaign against corruption, is tapping this pulse in the specific case of the prime minister’s education, hoping possibly to hit political pay dirt for a second time.