HIGH PRICE INDIANS ARE PAYING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

In his last article for us, our columnist wrote on his own journey in education. And the cost some families pay today to fund the aspirations of their children

- BIBEK DEBROY

Like many others, my family suffered from partition—on the eastern side. My father and his family migrated from East Pakistan (Bangladesh) to what was then undivided Assam. At the time, my father, 23 years old, having completed his degree from the University of Dhaka, always wanted to do a master's. He couldn't because the dislocation meant he couldn't get a migration certificate that was essential to study in another university. Consequently, his family placed a premium on education. Since he couldn't apply this to his own life, he extended the aspiration to his son's. He enrolled me in a "West-missionary" school. I now understand that, given his financial situation, this is something he could ill afford. Then, somewhere around the age of nine, scholarships took over and financed the rest of my education. I wonder what would have happened if those scholarships had not been available. How would my father have managed my education?

I don't think my parents were exceptional. In the 1950s and 60s, many families saved and scrimped for the sake of their children's education. At the time, it was more boys than girls. Pre- and post-independence, there was always a relatively elite section that managed to get their offspring educated. That was different. Here, I am flagging a generation that may broadly be called the lower-middle class. In search of a better life for their children, they went beyond their means and succeeded.