Page 53 - EW November 2024

NB. Subsequently NTA suffered embarrassing glitches
while conducting national examinations written by thou-
sands of students clamouring for admission into the coun-
try’s much-too-few acceptable quality higher education
institutions. In a cover story titled ‘Rectifying NTA exams
disaster’ (EW July 2024), your editors recommended com-
plete overhaul of NTA.

Higher Education Commission of India Bill.
On June 28, the Union Cabinet approved
a draft Higher Education Commission of
India (Repeal of UGC Act) Bill, 2018, and
posted it on the website of the Union HRD
TSR Subramanian: inconvenient NEP draft ministry for public comment. The Bill
proposed replacement of the University Grants Commis-
your editors. sion (UGC, estb.1956), the country's apex higher education
NB. The Subramanian Committee Report was shelved, regulatory authority with a Higher Education Commission
and another NEP Drafting Committee was constituted un- of India (HECI), to improve the quality of academic instruc-
der the chairmanship of former ISRO chairman Dr. K. Kas- tion and maintenance of academic standards.
turirangan in June 2017 EW comment. While EW welcomed disbandment of the
Mission Million Memorial Libraries Project Launch. On Soviet-style over-arching command and control UGC, your
November 7, the first children’s library under the Educa- editors reported strong opposition from higher ed academ-
tionWorld Foundation’s ‘Million Memorial Libraries Now’ ics and highlighted that the commission is likely to be domi-
project was inaugurated at the Parikrma Centre for Learn- nated by Central government bureaucrats and appointees.
ing, Sahakarnagar, Bangalore, a free-of-charge K-12 school Moreover, the Bill is silent on the issue of grants sanctioned
established for underprivileged children from slum house- and disbursed to the country’s higher education institutions
holds. The first library under this project was established (HEIs), an important function of UGC. “The Bill proposed
following a donation of Rs.5 lakh contributed by your edi- that the Union HRD ministry will directly fund Central and
tors and Anil, Shyama and Bharati Thakore in memory of state universities arousing fears of erosion of autonomy of
the late Malati & Vinoo Thakore. The expectation was that HEIs,” wrote your editors, predicting that “it’s very unlikely
this memorial library would serve as a model for India’s that HECI will replace UGC in the near future” (Education
large middle class (150 million households) to establish li- News, EW August).
braries in their neighbourhood and ancestral towns/villages NB. The Higher Education Commission of India Bill is
in memory of parents and loved ones. yet to be tabled in Parliament.
EW comment. Unfortunately, despite the Malati & Vinoo
Thakore Memorial Library offering a model to establish Kasturirangan Committee’s Draft NEP. The
libraries for underprivileged children in under-resourced Draft National Education Policy (NEP),
schools, the ‘Million Memorial Libraries Now’ project has authored by a nine-member committee
proved a dismal failure — evidence of gratitude and ideal- of academics chaired by eminent space
ism deficit in middle class India. scientist K. Kasturirangan, former chair-
man of ISRO (Indian Space Research Or-
National Testing Agency constituted. ganisation), was released for public debate on May 30.
In November 2017, the Union Cabinet The 484-page KR Committee Report proposed an over-
cleared establishment of a National Test- haul and restructuring of Indian education from pre-prima-
ing Agency (NTA) to conduct all pan-In- ry to Ph D. Among its major recommendations: integration
dia higher education admission entrance of three years of foundational early childhood education into
tests. Initially NTA will conduct all en- the school education continuum; shift from rote learning to
trance exams currently being conducted by CBSE. Conduct inquiry-based and experiential pedagogies in primary-sec-
of other higher education entrance examinations will be ondary education; integration of vocational education and
assumed by NTA progressively. training into school and higher education; establishment of
EW comment. EW welcomed the establishment of NTA as State School Regulatory Authorities (SSRA) to monitor and
its creation “will free CBSE, AICTE, IITs, IIMs and other regulate school education and a National Higher Education
agencies from examination and assessment duties thus al- Regulatory Council (NHERC) for HEIs. In addition, the KR
lowing them to focus on their core mandate of education Committee recommended setting up several other commit-
and research provision”. tees — HECI, GEC, NAC, HEGC, NTF — all to be chaired

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