Page 10 - EW FEB 2022

Editorial

POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION IS NOT APPEASEMENT i.e, create a level playing field for all.
Although ex facie, this seems a rea-
sonable objective, on deeper reflec-
s the tempo of electioneering in the national interest demands that tion it’s questionable. It’s axiomatic
five states including the bell- individuals who inflame and incite that religious and other minorities are
Awether Uttar Pradesh (pop.215 hatred, violence and contempt against disadvantaged in matters relating to
million), which will be electing their fellow citizens on religious and other employment, state benefits and social
legislative assembly representatives identity grounds are promptly pros- acceptance vis-a-vis the majority com-
before March 10, gathers momentum, ecuted and awarded exemplary pun- munity. Therefore, there’s nothing ob-
there’s rising responsibility for leaders ishment. At a time when the economy jectionable in practising affirmative
of all political parties — especially the is struggling to rebound following sev- action in favour of minorities. Indeed
ruling BJP at the Centre with a mas- eral waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Constitution of India drafted by
sive majority in Parliament — to come the country doesn’t need communal highly learned and visionary individu-
down hard on inflammatory religious riots and civic insurrection to inter- als over half a century ago is mindful
and caste hate speech. Somewhat rupt the revival process. of minority rights and positive dis-
belatedly, the Uttarakhand police (a On a broader canvas, it’s a shame crimination, because its authors were
BJP-ruled state) has initiated crimi- that on the eve of our 75th anniversary aware of the importance of co-opting
nal proceedings against Hindu ex- as a free and independent nation vivi- minority communities into the na-
tremists who on December 17 called sected on grounds of religion, India is tional development effort.
for the extermination of the country’s regressing into religious communal- Against this backdrop, the highly
200 million-strong Muslim minority. ism and identity politics. Instead of divisive electoral campaign based on
Moreover in several states including moving forward and evolving into the 80-20 electoral arithmetic being con-
BJP-ruled Gujarat and Karnataka, secular and compassionate society en- ducted by the BJP in UP — and the
violent sangh parivar (‘Hindu fam- visaged by Mahatma Gandhi and lead- deafening silence of the party’s lead-
ily’) vigilantes are disrupting church ers of the freedom movement, Indian ership at the Centre including prime
services of the Christian minority. society seems to be reversing into minister Narendra Modi — is con-
There are well-established provi- medievalism when religious identity demnable and fraught with danger.
sions of the Indian Penal Code (ss. of citizens determined their place in Hate-speech disseminators need to be
153-A, 495 etc) which proscribe stir- the social order. speedily arrested, tried and awarded
ring up religious and caste antago- The BJP leadership’s position on exemplary sentences in the cause of
nisms within the public. Therefore, minorities is to end ‘appeasement’, national unity and harmony.

DECLARE 2021-22 AS ZERO ACADEMIC YEAR tinely promoting children to the next
higher class where they are certain to
experience severe learning difficulties
n the rarefied environment of Lu- ineffective”. and stress.
tyen’s Delhi about to experience On the other hand, in the UK, Rus- Alternatively in the event of wide-
Ia landscape makeover with the sia, France and China — all badly hit spread resistance to this proposi-
hindutva-inspired Central Vista new by the Delta and Omicron variants tion, the next best option is for the
Parliament building and in business- of the Coronavirus — schools have Union and state governments to
as-usual state capitals, there seems to reopened after shutdowns of a mere make substantial provision for reme-
be no awareness that in the vast hin- 12 to 37 weeks. The prolonged lock- dial education and learning recovery
terland, the country is experiencing an down of early childhood and primary programmes in the Union and state
Education Emergency. schools where children are too young budgets 2022-23. Under this propo-
In early January, primary-second- to grasp online learning is especially sition, the Centre’s outlay for public
aries, which had cautiously reopened reprehensible. Because even in the education in the Union Budget 2022-
last October, following an unprec- pre-pandemic era, as continuously 23 must double from Rs.93,224 crore
edented 70-week lockdown of all 1.5 highlighted in the authoritative field- in 2021-22 to serve as a precedent for
million schools countrywide during tested Annual Status of Education state governments.
2020-21, were peremptorily shut Report (ASER) of the Pratham Educa- The Education Emergency that
down again with the Omicron vari- tion Foundation, learning outcomes of confronts the world’s largest child and
ant of the novel Coronavirus fuelling rural and government primaries were youth population needs the focused
a surge in infections. This despite declining. and urgent attention of government,
numerous authoritative studies indi- In these exceptional circumstances, academics and the public. It’s no ex-
cating severe learning loss of 70-80 the best available option is a Central aggeration to state that contemporary
percent within India’s pre-pandemic government order that all children acts of omission and commission will
school-going children. Of them, two- should repeat the academic year shape the future of the Republic.
thirds have had no access to online 2021-22 i.e, declare it a zero year. The Immediate collective action is im-
learning over the past 18 months. heavens won’t fall if youngest children perative to ensure that 21st century
As for the rest, a recent Azim Premji relearn the 2021-22 syllabus to build a India’s accidental demographic divi-
University study has concluded that strong foundation for future learning. dend doesn’t transform into a pro-
online learning is “inadequate and It’s certainly a better option than rou- longed disaster.

10 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2022