Page 38 - EW November 2024

Cover Story

MILESTONES OF

INDIAN EDUCATION

(1999-2024)

PROBE Report. In early Janu- EW comment. Appalled and outraged by this cruel
ary 1999, a team of eminent neglect of vulnerable children, in the inaugural
educationists including Anita November 1999 issue and subsequently, EW re-
Rampal, Anuradha De, Jean peatedly lauded and cited the PROBE report as the
Dreze and Shiva Kumar, re- first non-government independent survey of rural
leased the Public Report on Basic Education schools, calling upon the Central and state govern-
1999 focused on rural primary education. For ments to address and rectify the woeful condition
the first time, it exposed the deep rot in public of government primary schools by increasing gov-
primary education in the populous Hindi heart- ernment spending on public education to 6 per-
land states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan cent of GDP as recommended by the high-powered
and Uttar Pradesh). PROBE reported that 48 Kothari Commission in 1967. Two years later in
percent of government schools didn’t have pucca buildings; 2001, the NDA/BJP coalition government at the Centre
53 percent lacked drinking water facilities; 89 percent were launched the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) with the spe-
bereft of toilets; only 3 percent had reliable electricity sup- cific objectives of universalisation of elementary education
ply and 33 percent of schools had only one teacher because and strengthening the infrastructure of rural government
of chronic teacher absenteeism. schools. Moreover from the year 2008 coterminously with
PROBE 1999 also contradicted the popular myth that presentation of the Union Budget, in association with econ-
parents in rural India don’t want to send their children omist Dr. A.S. Seetharamu, former professor of education
(specially girls) to school. It highlighted that an over- at the Institute of Social and Economic Change, Bangalore
whelming majority of parents — 98 percent for boys and (ISEC, estb.1974), EW began presenting a resource mobili-
89 percent for girl children — want their children to learn sation calculus to install a library, laboratory and lavatories
in formal schools. in all government schools countrywide.

CBSE’s millennial reforms. In early Janu- (an autonomous subsidiary of the Union education minis-
ary, the Delhi-based Central Board of try) has initiated several reforms including contemporising
Secondary Education (CBSE) — India’s curriculums, introduction of the continuous and compre-
largest Central school-leaving examina- hensive evaluation system, inclusion of competency-based
tions board with over 15,000 upscale questions in exam papers, among others.
government and private schools affiliated United Nations Millennium Development Goals. In Septem-
with it — announced curriculum/exam reforms and a new ber, after conclusion of a three-day Millennium Summit of
Frontline Curriculum for the new millennium. The reforms world leaders in New York, the UN General Assembly ad-
included a shift from the marks to grading system, man- opted the Millennium Declaration and set eight Millennium
datory professional counseling for all children and group Development Goals (MDGs). All 191 United Nations mem-
insurance for all students in affiliated schools. ber countries (including India) committed themselves to
EW comment. In several news reports and special report attain the eight MDGs by the year 2015. The MDGs were (i)
features, we critically evaluated the CBSE’s reform initia- eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; (ii) attainment
tives. In October 2000, we featured a special report titled of universal primary education; ( iii) gender equality and
‘Winds of change in ICSE and CBSE’, in which we high- women empowerment; (iv) reduction of child mortality; (v)
lighted that though only ten percent of the country’s 1 improvement of maternal health; (vi) to combat HIV/AIDS,
million schools were affiliated with CBSE, as a standards- malaria, and other diseases; (vii) ensure environmental
setting and benchmark institution it “exercises power and sustainability and (viii) to initiate global partnerships for
influence out of all proportion of its number of affiliated development.
schools”. Since then over the past quarter century, CBSE EW comment. The Millennium Declaration was enthusias-

38 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2024