Page 18 - Education World November 2022

Education News

even though it is “75 years late”. “The and 3,481 Group-C and
document is not just a vision but 2,823 Group-D employees
shows the pathway, the tools and have landed jobs in govern-
the training required to achieve the ment schools on payment
goals set by NEP 2020,” enthuses of illegal consideration.
Dr. Popat Vats, an alumna of Bom- Although the arrest of
bay University with over 30 years’ Chatterjee and Bhattacha-
experience in ECCE teaching and rya — hitherto heavy-
administration. weights of the ruling TMC
Popat Vats is impressed by the — has severely damaged
intellectual depth and attention to her image, chief minister
detail of NCFFS 2022, particularly Mamata Banerjee is put-
because it draws on the pioneer stud- ting on a brave front. While
ies of Indian early childhood educa- refusing to comment on
tion champions Gijubhai Bhadeka, Short-changed TET protestors: reservation twist the arrests of her two lieu-
Tarabai Modak, Anutai Wagh and tenants, she recently an-
Mahatma Gandhi as also of global WEST BENGAL nounced a new TET scheduled for
ECCE pioneers Rousseau, Froebel, December 11 to appoint 11,000 teach-
Dewey and Dr. Maria Montessori Unwashable scandal ers and 1,500 para-teachers in 500
among others. “Overall, I give 10 out government schools to teach in the
of 10 to the 360-page NCFFS as it EST BENGAL’S MEGA RS.400- Alchiki language in tribal areas of the
scores heavily on research, vastness 500 crore teacher recruit- state.
of areas covered and great combina- Wment scandal, which has However, immediately after pri-
tion of curriculum assessment and placed education minister Partha mary education board president Gau-
teacher training,” she says. Chatterjee and his actress mistress tam Pal notified that aspiring teachers
ut while the well-designed Arpita Mukherjee in jail cells after who have D.El.Ed (diploma in elemen-
BNCFFS is likely to be nearly Rs.100 crore in cash and title tary education) and B.Ed (bachelor of
enthusiastically adopted by the deeds of 12 properties were seized education) certification are eligible to
country’s estimated 55,000 private from the latter’s four upscale apart- write the forthcoming TET scheduled
preschools, the real challenge is for ments in Kolkata on July 23, is still for December 11, the Calcutta high
the Central and state governments making headlines in the state. court was flooded with 1,400 writ peti-
to operationalise it in government On October 10, former West Bengal tions filed on September 30 challeng-
schools, particularly the country’s 1.4 Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) ing the notification.
million Central government AWCs chairman Manik Bhattacharya and According to the petitioners, if
(anganw adi centres) — essentially MLA of the ruling Trinamool Con- B.Ed qualified candidates are allowed
nutrition centres for newborns and gress (TMC) party was arrested by the to write the TET for primary schools,
lactating mothers which also provide Enforcement Directorate on charges D.El.Ed diploma holders will be disad-
a modicum of ECCE to youngest of receiving bribes for appointing vantaged. They demand that primary
children. teachers in the state’s 75,141 govern- school teaching positions are reserved
In Budget 2022-23, the Central ment schools. Allegations against for diploma holders and that the ap-
government allocated Rs.20,263 Bhattacharya also include selectively pointment of B.Ed degree holders
crore for the Integrated Child Devel- increasing marks of candidates in the should be restricted to upper primary
opment Services (ICDS) programme TET (Teacher Eligibility Test). (middle), secondary and higher sec-
which funds AWCs. And even though On October 20, a two-judge bench ondary schools.
state governments chip in with of the Supreme Court declined to stay “It is shocking that Banerjee, who
paying the salary of the usually sole Bhattacharya’s arrest. Investigations made education her major election
AWC helper, the amount available to into West Bengal’s teacher recruit- plank while coming to power in 2011,
every AWC — averaging Rs.1.4 lakh ment scandals which stretch back to has not yet come up with a political
per year — is too small to meaning- 2014, indicate that a large number of or policy solution to address the be-
fully implement NCFFS. unqualified teachers have been ap- trayal Bengal’s youth are experienc-
As in the case with numerous of- pointed in state government schools. ing because of pervasive corruption
ficial initiatives in education, NCFFS According to the Central Bureau of in teacher recruitment. Thousands of
is likely to founder on the rock of Investigation (CBI), 8,163 fraudulent West Bengal’s youth are unable to ob-
funding. teachers including 952 in secondary tain jobs despite having the necessary
Autar Nehru (Delhi) and 907 in higher secondary schools qualifications,” says S rij a n B h a t -

18 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2022