Page 24 - EW September 2022

Education News

precedent” for students, teachers and other institutions. THEY SAID IT IN AUGUST
“Such an incident points to an otherwise aspirational uni-
versity becoming a hotbed for moral policing as opposed “We live in an age where crime and justice,
to being a safe and progressive environment for teachers innocence and guilt, have no autonomous
and students alike,” reads the petition. meaning of their own, other than as part of a
Yet perhaps the most chilling conclusion that right- communal project.”
thinking academics are drawing from this contretemps is Pratap Bhanu Mehta, former vice-chancellor of Ashoka
the minimal value that academics in the highest offices of University, on the release of 11 convicts sentenced
universities accord to faculty. In this particular instance, for the gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of 14
this persecuted professor with two Ph Ds had the choice people (Indian Express, August 19)
to teach in any higher education institution worldwide.
Yet she chose to serve in her native city — Kolkata. “The truth is that India at 75 is a sweet and
Instead of conferring highest value to this human re-
source, the sex-obsessed top management of SXU — “like sour story of private success and public
the base Indian” — recklessly threw a pearl away richer failure. India has risen from below, through
than all its tribe. the energy and ingenuity of its people, al-
Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata) most despite the state… Unless India fixes its
governance institutions, it will not become a
KARNATAKA developed country.”
Another mega corruption charge Gurcharan Das, author and columnist, on India’s 75th
Independence Day (Times of India, August 20)

he once well-governed southern state of karnataka “The IITs proved to the world the capability of
(pop.68 million) is rapidly transforming into ‘bro- India in the domains of education and tech-
Tken windows’ society. In 1982, American academics nology. In more than one way, the story of the
James Q. Wilson and George Kelling ideated their Broken IITs is the story of independent India. The IITs
Windows theory. They posited that if civic neglect and of-
ficial corruption in any society or neighbourhood remains have contributed immensely to India’s im-
unpunished, an outbreak of serious crimes and criminal- proved standing on the global stage today.”
ity becomes inevitable. Continuous tolerance of everyday President Droupadi Murmu at the diamond jubilee
petty crimes — road traffic offences, shoddy public works celebrations of IIT Delhi (September 5)
execution, bribery in government offices, arbitrary garbage
dumping — has precipitated a major crime wave in Kar- “Our new National Education Policy is being
nataka. applauded throughout the world. People are
Last November, the Karnataka State Road Contractors’ able to see how India is moving in the right
Association (KSRCA) wrote directly to prime minister Nar- direction to strengthen its education ecosys-
endra Modi complaining that elected representatives of the tem. Our teachers have played a very impor-
BJP-ruled state government are routinely extorting com- tant role in formulating the policy. It is up to
missions of 40 percent for award of civic maintenance and our teachers to prepare our youth, who will
road construction contracts.
Even as resolution of the KSRCA complaint is still pend- decide what India would look like in ‘Amrit
ing, in a letter dated August 26, RUPSA (Registered Un- Kaal’ by 2047”
aided Private Schools Asso- Prime minister Narendra Modi in a Teachers Day
ciation), which has 13,000 interview (Business Standard, September 5)
member schools, also wrote
a letter directly to the prime “The idea that higher education could be
minister accusing Karnata- funded fully by the students or their parents
ka’s BJP government and out of their savings or through bank borrow-
education minister B.C. ings appears grossly misplaced in the Indian
Nagesh in particular, of context.”
extorting massive bribes for Furqan Qamar, professor, Jamia Millia Islamia
renewal of school recogni- University, countering education minister’s
tion, issuing no-objection Dharmendra Pradhan’s statement that people
certificates to new CBSE RUPSA president Talikatte revise the notion that universities be funded only by
and CISCE schools, RTE government (The Hindu, September 6)

24 EDUCATIONWORLD SEPTEMBER 2022