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Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan (centre) with deputies Jayant Chaudhary (right) and Sukanta Majumdar after re-induction

dia’s moribund education system, has never been a priority to establish campuses in India; introducing the FYUP
of the BJP and especially of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak (four year undergrad programme); introducing the Com-
Sangh (RSS), the shadowy ideological and cultural men- mon University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission into
tor organisation of the party,” we wrote four years ago (see 56 Central government universities; NEET (National Eligi-
see https://www.educationworld.in/can-this-man-revive- bility-cum-Entrance Test) for medical education and also
indias-shattered-education-system/). establishing an ABC (Academic Bank of Credits) to enable
Nevertheless even if the issue of whether India’s chil- students to exit and re-enter higher education institutions
dren, especially the 52 percent in the country’s 1.1 million at their convenience.
government schools, have recovered the severe learning Respected monitors and practitioners of Indian edu-
loss of the Covid pandemic is shrouded in mystery — a cation are impressed by the speed with which Pradhan
2023 ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) of the has moved to implement several NEP recommendations,
highly-respected independent Pratham Education Founda- especially in early childhood and school education. “The
tion which field tested 34,375 teens in the 14-18 age group, FLN (foundational learning and numeracy) road map and
reveals that 25 percent cannot read a class II level text- NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with
book fluently in their regional language and more than half Understanding and Numeracy) Bharat programme rolled
struggle with division (3-digit by 1-digit) problems — there out by the Union education ministry for youngest children,
is a general consensus that under Pradhan’s leadership the are excellent documents. They detail every element of what
ministry has successfuly fast-tracked implementation of should be taught to children in every age group, and how
several important recommendations of the revolutionary and why it should be taught. But the problem as usual is
NEP 2020. with implementation. Except in a few states such as Assam
Among them: incorporation of ECCE (early childhood and Odisha, very few government anganwadis (1.4 mil-
care and education) into the formal school system — a lion essentially nutritional centres established since 1976
longstanding EducationWorld demand — under the new countrywide for lactating mothers and infants which also
5+3+3+4 school education system to replace the earlier provide ECCE — Editor) are implementing these excellent
10+2 system; permitting foreign schools and universities initiatives. Neither surprisingly are the great majority of

JULY 2024 EDUCATIONWORLD 41