Page 20 - EW April 2024_Neat

Education News

ing Trinamool Congress government March 11 — a single judge of
— now in its third consecutive five- the Karnataka HC quashed
year term in office. The consensus of the exam notification. Next
academic opinion is that by eroding day on March 7, after the
educational standards and neglect- state government appealed,
ing human capital development, a division bench comprising
Banerjee is undermining the state’s Justice K. Somashekar and
long-term prospects for sustainable Justice Rajesh Rai K stayed
development and prosperity. the March 6 interim order,
With her seeming lack of urgency ruling that “the present situ-
about teacher recruitment and apa- ation of uncertainty would
thy about the future of children and be detrimental to the student
youth in the state, the chief minister community virtually on the
is fast losing the support of not only eve of their examinations,”
Kolkata’s influential bhadralok (cul- Class VIII students writing board exams and ordered the state govern-
tured middle class) but the grassroot ment to go ahead with staging
electorate as well. Monitors of West a circular stating it will conduct ‘no- the examination for elementary
Bengal’s political scene feel that detention summative assessments’ school children.
though the electoral landscape of in March for classes V, VIII and IX to issatisfied with the order,
Bengal is complex and the outcome enable schools to assess the learning DRUPSA appealed to the Supreme
of General Election 2024 will be in- levels of students. Under s.30 of the Court. On March 12 — second day of
fluenced by a combination of factors landmark Right of Children to Free the exam — Justices Bela M. Trivedi
— West Bengal sends 42 representa- & Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, and Pankaj Mithal, while noting that
tives to the Lok Sabha in Delhi — a 2009, board exams were prohibited the board exams violate s.30 of the
decline in support for Banerjee due for children in elementary education RTE Act, referred the case back to
to her failure in the education sector (classes I-VIII) and s.16 provided the Karnataka high court. On March
has given the resurgent BJP (which that no child should be “held back in 23, the high court ordered the state
won 18 constituencies in General any class until completion of elemen- government to complete the remain-
Election 2019), an opportunity to tary education.” der examinations without delay.
capitalise on the discontent of voters. However in 2019, following com- The re-introduction of KSEAB
Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata) plaints that under-prepared children summative exams for youngest
were routinely being promoted to children has been heavily criticised
KARNATAKA higher class, the BJP government at by parents, school associations
Board exams the Centre amended the RTE Act to and educationists who argue board
permit exams in elementary educa-
exams arouse fear and anxiety
imbroglio tion and also detention of children within children. “The term ‘board’
evokes fear in every Indian student’s
who fail more than twice, in the same
class. heart. No matter how hard work-
fter a month-long flip-flop Surprisingly four months ago, ing a student is, the prospect of a
over conducting class V, the Congress government which board exam instills instant anxiety…
AVIII and IX ‘summative was elected to power in Karnataka By deciding to reintroduce board
assessments’ aka board exams for last May, issued an order to KSEAB exams for classes V and VIII, the
government and private schools to conduct exams for elementary Karnataka government is pushing
affiliated with the Karnataka School school children. Despite the circular the system several steps backwards.
Examination and Assessment Board stressing that no child will be failed/ The RTE Act, passed by Parliament
(KSEAB), the last leg of the exams detained, the Registered Unaided in 2009, had stipulated that instead
was conducted on March 25-26. Private Schools Association (RUP- of annual board exams, school-
This after the Karnataka high court SA), a representative association of based assessment techniques such
(March 23) directed KSEAB to hold 13,000 private schools in the state, as comprehensive and continuous
the exams without delay “in the petitioned the Karnataka high court evaluation (CCE) should be used. For
interest of students”. seeking a stay on the exams for im- a few years, several state government
The conclusion of these exams posing unwarranted stress on young directorates and the CBSE displayed
came after a month-long drama. Last children. great enthusiasm to promote school-
December, the state’s department of On March 6 — five days before based assessment…,” writes Dr.
school education and literacy issued the board exams were to begin on Krishna Kumar, former director of

20 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2024