Page 22 - EW April 2024_Neat

Education News

NCERT (see p.34). month of flip-flop over conduct of
Moreover, the state government the exams, and now have an anxious
has also come under criticism for its wait ahead for the all-important
poor planning and execution of the ‘board’ results.
exam. Bizarrely, KSEAB instructed There’s no shortage of evidence
students to bring their own plain- endorsing the student-friendly CCE
paper answer scripts to exam halls system as the better alternative,
— traditionally provided by exam especially for primary school chil-
boards/schools. After several School dren. The National Education Policy
Development Management Commit- 2020, based on the 484-page draft
tees and private school associations of the Dr. Kasturirangan Committee
protested, a revised circular was Report, also unequivocally mandates
issued on March 8 that the board shift from summative assessment to
would provide answer scripts. The continuous, formative, competency-
latest in the saga is that KSEAB based assessments for elementary
has given teachers a mere five days school children. But as always, gov-
to complete evaluation of answer ernment knows better.
scripts of 2.8 million children. Reshma Ravishanker (Bengaluru)
omments T. Lokesh, president,
CRUPSA: “The purpose of these TAMIL NADU
exams has been defeated by the way
it has been conducted. We objected Conditional
to these exams because they are education shifted to the state list,
against the rights of children and acceptance and we will work towards achiev-
subject them to unwarranted stress. ing this goal. We are drawing up
Not only did the very idea of board lthough politically bjp, the our own state education policy. We
exams cause children stress but the ruling party at the Centre, will never accept the NEP,” he said,
way the government managed it, Aand DMK, the ruling party simultaneously expressing the state
from initially refusing to provide in Tamil Nadu (pop.77 million), are government’s intent to “maintain a
answer scripts, to now the confu- at daggers drawn, the Tamil Nadu dialogue” with the Union education
sion over evaluation, has aggravated government has signalled an intent ministry.
student anxiety multifold. Teachers to embrace the Prime Minister According to the website of the
are expected to evaluate 80 answer Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) Department of School Education
scripts each day for class V exams, programme, launched in September, and Literacy of the Union educa-
60 for class VIII and 40 for class IX. 2022. tion ministry, the PM-SHRI scheme,
How can teachers evaluate 2.8 mil- In an official statement dated launched by Prime Minister Nar-
lion students’ papers in such a short March 15, the state government endra Modi 18 months ago, is “an
time? Can this hurried and summary declared that it will sign a Memo- initiative intended to develop more
evaluation replace the detailed CCE randum of Understanding (MoU) than 14,500 PM-SHRI schools man-
done by teachers? Definitely not.” to implement PM-SHRI in state aged by the Central government/
However, it’s pertinent to note government schools before the com- state/UT Government/local bodies
that while RUPSA opposes the board mencement of the 2024-25 academic including KVs and NVs in which
exam for classes V, VIII and IX year. Following this declaration, every student feels welcomed and
children, the Associated Manage- state school education minister cared for, where a safe and stimulat-
ments of Private Schools in Karna- Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said ing environment exists, where a wide
taka (KAMS) welcomes them with that its primary attraction is the range of learning experiences are of-
its general secretary D. Shashi funds allocated under the scheme to fered, and where good physical infra-
Kumar, deeming the whole contro- states — ranging from Rs.1,200 crore structure and appropriate resources
versy around the exams as “unneces- in 2024-25 to Rs.3,800 crore in fol- conducive to learning are available to
sary”, since no child in classes I-VIII lowing years. all students”. The scheme envisages
is likely to be detained. Nevertheless, Poyyamozhi made substantial investment in selected
The sufferers in this indeed “un- it clear that signing the MoU should PM-SHRI schools proposed to be es-
necessary” government-created con- not be interpreted as acceptance tablished over five years — 2022-23
troversy are the state’s 2.8 million of the National Education Policy to 2026-27. The total allocation for
children who had to live an anxious (NEP) 2020. “Our objective is to get the scheme is Rs.27,360 crore, with

22 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2024