Page 18 - EW January 2025

Education News

welcome the scrapping of the “over- greater budgetary provision. And as playgrounds and 6,861 lack library fa-
liberal” no-exams rule for primary/ the imminent Union Budget 2025-26 cilities.
elementary school children. The is likely to prove, that’s an annual Likewise, in the state’s govern-
consensus among educators is that mirage. ment-run higher education institu-
the stress that s. 29 attempted to Autar Nehru (Delhi) tions (HEIs), there’s a huge shortage
eliminate is inevitable and part of life of teaching and non-teaching staff —
and children should be introduced to KARNATAKA 2,723 teaching and 6,328 non-teach-
“ mild stress” in their early years. ing posts are vacant in the state’s 41
“The Central government’s Populism price public varsities. Moreover, 37,069
decision to scrap the ‘no-detention teaching posts in colleges managed
policy’ for classes V and VIII marks a he public education system in by the medical education department
significant forward initiative towards the southern state of Karnataka of the education ministry are vacant.
creating serious and accountable T(pop.69 million), whose admin Informed monitors of the state’s
teaching-learning in foundational el- capital Bengaluru is the nation’s ICT economy attribute these education
ementary education. It will inculcate (information communication tech- institution vacancies to a teacher re-
the habit of achieving promotion nologies) epicentre and most recently cruitment freeze prompted by the
rather than receiving it routinely. For voted India’s #1 hub for start-ups and state government’s precarious finan-
schools, it imposes sharper focus on unicorns, is in bad shape. The state’s cial condition. Since the Congress
refining teaching-learning practices, 49,000 government schools, 430 party was voted to power in May
especially in these critical grades. government colleges and 41 state 2023 and began implementing its
By aligning classroom instruction universities are debilitated by severe five pre-election “guarantees” — 200
with measurable learning outcomes, teacher/faculty shortages. units of free power for every appli-
educators can support students cant household, 10 kg
in developing the discipline and rice per person in be-
preparedness required for academic low poverty line (BPL)
success,” says Anirudh Sachdeva, households, free-of-
Director of Holy Child Public School, charge travel for women
Rewari. in government buses,
ikewise Prof. R. Govinda, Rs.2,000 per month for
LDistinguished Professor, Council women heads of fam-
for Social Development & former ily and Rs.3,000 for
vice-chancellor NIEPA (National unemployed graduates
Institute for Education Planning & — the state’s finances
Administration) and author of The have gone from bad to
Routledge Companion to Primary worse. In 2024-25, the
Education in India from Compulsion state’s budget allocated
to Fundamental Right (2023), wel- Rs.53,674 crore (out of
comes the re-introduction of primary Rural primary children: severe teacher shortage state government’s total
and middle school exams and deten- budget of Rs.3.71 lakh
tion of students who fail their exams On December 19, Madhu Banga- crore) to these schemes — 47 percent
a second time. “No detention is not rappa, school education minister of higher than the revised estimates for
a new idea, it is the way education the incumbent Congress party gov- 2023-24. To fund these poll promis-
should happen. However, India has a ernment, informed the legislative es, the state has doubled its borrow-
serious problem of schooling without assembly that 59,772 teachers’ posts ings from the Reserve Bank of India
learning. Yet the fault is not of chil- are vacant in the state’s 49,679 gov- from Rs.44,548 crore in 2022-23 to
dren, but of schools which must be ernment primary-secondary schools. Rs.85,818 crore in 2023-24.
improved and upgraded. If children A few days earlier on December 15, According to Mohandas Pai,
are not learning, it’s because they are a report of the Comptroller Auditor Chairman of the Manipal Global
not being taught adequately. My ad- General of India titled ‘Functioning Education Group, under the Siddara-
vice to government is: improve your of Primary Educational Institutions in maiah-led Congress government, the
schools, improve teaching. That’s the Karnataka for 2017-2022’ highlighted state’s revenue deficit has ballooned
basic prescription to address India’s that the number of single-teacher from Rs.4,000 crore in 2023-24 to
learning crisis,” says Govinda. schools in the state had risen sharply Rs.27,000 crore in 2024-25. “There’s
Yes. But improving and upgrad- from 4,652 to 6,616 between 2017-22, a Rs.45,000-50,000 crore swing in ex-
ing government schools requires and that 19,799 public schools have no penditure. And where has the money

18 EDUCATIONWORLD JANUARY 2025