VOA标准英语2010-Landmark Indian Education Law Comes Into

Indian students take lessons from their teacher inside a classroom at a school in Calcutta, India, 1Apr 2010

Indian Government Fails to Build Political Consensus¹ on Women's Reservation Bill
In India, a landmark² law which makes education a fundamental right for all children between six and 14, has come into effect.  But many challenges lie ahead in ensuring access to education for all in a country with the world's largest number of young people.

 

As the groundbreaking Right to Education law came into effect Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a rare address to the nation to express his government's commitment to ensuring education for all children.

The prime minister, who came from a rural area and went on to do a doctorate³ in economics at Cambridge, recalled his own story to emphasize the importance of putting all children in school.

"I was born to a family of modest means. In my childhood I had to walk a long distance to go to school. I read under the dim light of a kerosene⁴ lamp. I am what I am today because of education. I want every Indian child, girl and boy, to be so touched by the light of education," said Prime Minister Singh.

The Right to Education bill makes it legally enforceable to demand free and compulsory⁵ primary education for all those between six and 14.

Prime Minister Singh is promising⁶ enough funds to ensure access to schools for all children, irrespective of gender⁷ or social category.  According to estimates the government will need $38 billion in the next five years to implement⁸ the act.

The number of children who are out of school in India is staggering, an estimated eight million of them.  Many of them are girls, who often stay out of school to do household chores or look after siblings⁹.

Child rights campaigners have hailed the act, but they also point out that many challenges lie ahead in turning the legal right into a reality.

One of the greatest challenges will be making enough trained teachers and facilities available in state-run schools, especially in rural areas. According to estimates, more than a million more new teachers will be needed.

Shireen Miller¹⁰, director of advocacy and policy at Save the Children in New Delhi, cites the example of a village in Rajasthan state which she visited Wednesday to highlight the kind of problems that face many schools.     

"There was a school building, but again there were not enough teachers," she recalled.  "There was no teaching materials.  The villagers complained that, even when the teachers were there, they were not actually teaching the children.  They were listening to the radio.  They were making the children work in the fields. So the critical issue will be training of teachers, the numbers of teachers."

India's literacy rate is 64 percent.  But studies have shown that a number of those counted as literate¹¹ can barely read or write.  Economists¹² say imparting quality education is critical for a country where one third of the billion-plus people are under 15 and where, despite a booming economy, many people are still poor.

 

1 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

4 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

5 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

6 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

7 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

10 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

11 literate   

n.学者；adj.精通文学的，受过教育的

参考例句：

• Only a few of the nation's peasants are literate.这个国家的农民中只有少数人能识字。
• A literate person can get knowledge through reading many books.一个受过教育的人可以通过读书而获得知识。

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》