Page 20 - EW May 2023_Neat

Education News

NCF-SE may prove a hindrance (pop.65 million) next week.
rather than help to school principals The ruling BJP, which is
and teachers in the implementation pulling out all the stops —
process. “It’s highly doubtful if edu- including road shows featur-
cators will read the NCF-SE draft to ing prime minister Narendra
provide useful feedback. Moreover, Modi — to win a second term
the subject implementation manuals in office, has made big K-12
should be provided in bullet-point education reform promises
format and written in succinct lan- in its manifesto. Among
guage. They should be written with them: to increase the budget
teachers — rather than intellectuals allocation for education to 6
— in mind. Otherwise, NCF-SE and percent of GSDP (gross state
focus group manuals will be another domestic product) to “en-
case of love’s labour lost,” warns AAP manifesto: also-ran status sure quality education for
Pramod Sharma, former princi- every student in the state, as
pal of the top-ranked Mayo College, has walked the talk by allocating per NEP guidelines”; to launch PRE-
Ajmer and Genesis World School, 25 percent of its annual budget for KSHANA Mission (pre-primary edu-
and currently a Delhi-based educa- school education — spruced up the cation) to ensure that all pre-primary
tion consultant. infrastructure of government schools, and primary students achieve founda-
Moreover, it’s pertinent to note provided smart uniforms to children, tional literacy and numeracy by 2025;
that after the detailed policy imple- introduced computers and even sent upgradation of 65,911 anganwadis
mentation manuals are finalised, principals and teachers of government and to establish IIT-like Karnataka
instead of the job of implement- schools for training to Finland and Institute of Technology in every dis-
ing them being entrusted to school Singapore, unprecedented initiatives trict statewide. Moreover if elected, it
boards, principals and SMCs (School for public schools. promises to introduce the Visvesva-
Management Committees). NEP And the outcomes of these initia- raya Vidya Yojane under which “the
mandates several regulatory official tives have been equally unprecedent- state government will partner with
boards — RSA, SEC, SSA to super- ed. Delhi government schools claim eminent individuals and institutions
vise schools. Wonder what happened CBSE board exams results on a par for holistic upgradation of govern-
to liberalisation and deregulation? with private schools. Moreover in the ment schools to top class standards”.
Autar Nehru (Delhi) latest EducationWorld India School ikewise, the main opposition Con-
Rankings 2022-23 — the largest and Lgress party’s manifesto promises
KARNATAKA most comprehensive worldwide — the to restore “the true values of Bharat
Politically correct Delhi government’s Rajkiya Pratibha and Karnataka” and scientific temper
Vikas Vidyalaya (RPVV) primary-sec-
by rewriting textbooks (a reference
promises ondary schools were ranked #1 and to the BJP rewriting history texts);
fill teacher vacancies in government
#2 among state government schools
countrywide with four ranked in the schools and colleges within a year;
ven if belatedly, primary-sec- Top 10. make the compulsory mid-day meal
ondary education is becoming AAP’s sweeping victories in Delhi more nutritious, and regulate fees of
Ean important election issue — and Punjab attributed in large mea- private schools. More importantly, it
at least in state legislative assembly sure to its primary-secondary school says it will reject the Centre’s Nation-
elections. Credit for this must primar- reforms agenda, has not gone unno- al Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and
ily accrue to the Aam Aadmi Party ticed in Karnataka which goes to the promulgate Karnataka’s own State
(AAP) which against all expectations polls on May 10. All major political Education Policy. The second largest
swept the Delhi state assembly elec- parties including the Congress, BJP, opposition party JD (S) manifesto says
tions in 2015 and 2019 and also the JD(S) and AAP, which released their it will provide 6.8 lakh bicycles and
Punjab state election last year. Re- election manifestos on May 1-2, have 60,000 EV free-of-charge mopeds to
form of K-12 education — and espe- allotted substantial space to upgrada- girl students.
cially bringing government schools on tion of the state’s 71,000 government Although AAP, which after its win
a par with private schools — is given primary-secondary schools — a hith- in Punjab has developed national
high importance in AAP’s election erto neglected issue in Indian elec- ambitions, is also in the fray, it is an
campaigns. toral politics. An estimated 50 million also-ran in Karnataka where caste
Moreover after being voted into people in the state are eligible to vote calculations play a larger role. But it
office, the AAP government of Delhi for 224 assembly seats in Karnataka hopes to win its first seat in the Karna-

20 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2023