Twenty-five years of uninterrupted publication is a major mile-stone for any news and views publication. Therefore, a measure of congratulations to EducationWorld editors and marketing personnel who have laboured beyond call of duty to keep this publication alive is justified.

When EW was launched on the eve of the new millennium with the mission “to build the pressure of public opinion to make education the #1 item on the national agenda”, the indifference, and often hostility, that we encountered from our target publics — education policy formulators, academics, teachers, parents and industry — took us by surprise. Especially since your editor had established a good reputation in society as the founder-editor of India’s first-ever business magazines which prepared the ground and catalysed the historic economic liberalisation reforms of 1991. EW was kept afloat in the initial years by family support and early investment of Rs.25 lakh by Dr. Ramdas Pai and Glenn Christo of MEMG (Manipal Education & Medical Group).

Curiously, none of the captains of India Inc who had benefited mightily from economic liberalisation and deregulation consented to purchase equity in this enterprise. Dismayingly they didn’t understand — and still don’t — that if India’s huge human resource is properly educated and skilled, their enterprises will become more productive and profitable. It’s a severe indictment of India Inc’s leaders that this publication was saved from bankruptcy by Los Angeles-based angel investors Lowell and Mike Milken who purchased equity valued at $250,000 in this venture. Your publisher-editor and Indian society owe a huge debt to them.

Because since then over the past 25 years EW has succeeded in moving education at least halfway up the national development agenda. For the first time, syllabuses, pedagogies, curriculums and ways and means to provide holistic education and skills training are being debated in numerous forums countrywide. Moreover, the annual EducationWorld India School Rankings (EWISR, estb.2007) has evolved into the world’s largest schools ranking survey and generated widespread awareness about balanced, comprehensive K-12 education. Likewise, EW’s consistent advocacy of early childhood and skills education has ensured their inclusion in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

However, there is no room for complacency. Contemporary India’s children and youth — 500 million are below 24 years of age — are severely neglected and under-educated. On this occasion of our Silver Jubilee, we invite all our publics — politicians, bureaucrats, academics, principals, industry leaders, parents and students — to shed all prejudice and make common cause with us to accord top priority to providing QEFA (quality education for all) in quick time. This is the essential pre-condition of national development.

Also read: Why are Indians succeeding everywhere except in India?