Page 54 - EW November 2024

Cover Story

by academics of “unimpeachable integrity” to supervise and EW was at the forefront of the restart school campaign. In
regulate school and higher education. a cover story titled ‘Why schools should reopen now’ (EW
EW comment. In a detailed 13-page cover story titled July), your editors highlighted the unprecedented damage
‘More government more governance’ (July), EW critically suffered by the world’s largest child and youth population
analysed the KR Committee’s Draft NEP 2019. “Debated, by way of loss of learning and called for immediate re-
deliberated and written over a period of two years, inevi- opening of schools. “The balance between children’s safety
tably the KR Committee’s draft NΕΡ 2019 contains several against the Covid-19 pandemic and their right to protect
valuable recommendations for their future livelihoods needs to be restored. The national
the comprehensive reform of interest demands no more time is lost in restarting India’s
21st century India’s obsolete long shuttered schools with adequate safety protocols,”
education system across the wrote your editors.
board from pre-primary to Ph NB: Schools reopened in late 2021 after 56 weeks of clo-
D… But unfortunately, the KR sure, and longer in some states.
Committee composed as it is National Education Policy 2020. The much-awaited Nation-
of establishment academics al Education Policy (NEP) 2020, formulated after an inter-
with statist, if not shop-worn regnum of 34 years and incorporating most of the detailed
leftist mindsets, has not been recommendations of the K. Kasturirangan Committee, was
able to resist the temptation to presented to the public on July 29. The 65-page NEP 2020
recommend strict control and mandates reconfiguration of the 10+2 school system with
command of private education a new 5+3+3+4 school continuum to include three years of
institutions which to all intents and purposes are doing compulsory ECCE for all children countrywide in the 3-6
very well, especially when compared to government owned/ age bracket; curriculum, pedagogy and exam reforms in
managed schools and HEIs. What Indian education needs school education to encourage conceptual comprehension,
is the Central and state governments to focus on nurturing creativity and critical thinking capabilities rather than rote
the country’s government-run 1.6 million anganwadis, 1.20 learning; introduction of certified multiple exit and re-entry
million primary-secondaries, and public undergrad colleges options and a system of credits to be stored in a national
and HEIs and lightly, if at all, regulate private education ABC (academic bank of credits) digital repository; phasing
institutions,” wrote your editors. out the system of all undergrad colleges affiliating with par-
ent universities, and graded au-
Covid-19 pandemic schools’ lockdown. tonomy for undergrad colleges
On March 16, the Union government an- under a ‘light but tight’ regula-
nounced the closure of all schools, col- tory framework; establishment
leges and universities across the country of a National Research Founda-
to control and check the spread of the Co- tion and permitting top-ranked
vid-19 pandemic. All major examinations, foreign universities to set up
including public entrance exams such as JEE and NEET campuses in India.
were postponed and several school-leaving board exams EW comment. Our compre-
in the states of the Indian Union abandoned midway. This hensive cover story ‘NEP 2020:
story was repeated in higher and professional education Visionary charter, educracy
institutions, which also had to close down campuses and shadow’ (EW August 2020)
discontinue classes and project work mid-semester. Schools carefully examined NEP 2020
and HEIs were advised to move their classrooms to the on- and its recommendations for reforming Indian education
line mode. from early childhood to higher education. It concluded
EW comment. Initially your that the policy is an amalgam of high rhetoric clouded by
editors welcomed the closure implementation uncertainty, because it has established too
of schools as a cautionary many regulatory supervisory agencies. “Formulated after
measure to protect vulnerable an interregnum of 34 years and crafted over four years fol-
children from the dreaded lowing recommendations of two high-powered commit-
Coronavirus. However, with tees, the new education policy aroused great expectations.
the schools’ lockdown coun- But NEP 2020 is an amalgam of high rhetoric clouded by
trywide transforming into the implementation uncertainty because of its conspicuous fail-
world’s second longest (after ure to make a clean break from bureaucratic control-and-
Uganda) education lockdown command,” wrote your editors.
of 56 weeks and resulting in NB. Four years after NEP 2020 was approved, the su-
unprecedented learning loss, pervisory and regulatory committees it mandates including

54 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2024