Page 42 - March EW PDF 24

Cover Story

MODI GOVERNMENT

EDUCATION REPORT CARD (2014-24)

In this General Election-eve story, we assess the track record
of the Modi government — the first non-Congress government
to have completed ten years in office in independent India
— in early childhood, primary-secondary, skilling and higher
education

SUMMIYA YASMEEN

T HERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF REPORT Indian economy has been “put back on the rails”. Unsur-

prisingly, report cards from opposition parties contradict
cards being produced by think tanks,
these assertions. The opposition Congress has presented a
media publications, opposition par-
ties and government agencies on the
detailed ‘Black Paper’ on failures of the BJP government
highlighting growing unemployment, inflation, “danger to
occasion of the BJP government at the
Centre having completed ten years in
Yet, this flurry of report cards evaluating the Modi gov-
office (2014-2024). Undoubtedly, this
is a landmark milestone as the gov- democracy” and “authoritarian rule”.
ernment’s ten-year term are focused on the economy, na-
ernment led by popular prime minister Narendra Modi be- tional security, foreign policy and unemployment. A subject
comes independent India’s first non-Congress government unmarked and conspicuous by its absence is education, aka
to complete two consecutive five-year terms in New Delhi. human resource development — the foundation of a pros-
As the nation readies for the 18th General Election perous economy and nation. In this special election-eve
scheduled to be held in April-May, in his round of election cover story, EducationWorld (estb.1999) sets this glaring
speeches the prime minister has awarded his government omission right with a comprehensive Education Report
full marks for ending the “demon of corruption” and “un- Card of the Narendra Modi government.
blemished governance”, economic progress, maintenance Incontrovertibly the past decade has been eventful for
of law and order and “Modi ki Guarantee” welfare schemes. Indian education. While the BJP government’s first term
Likewise, other top BJP leaders have acclaimed the past (2014-2019) was marked by several controversies such as
decade as “transformational” for the country. On February assault on the autonomy of India’s showpiece IIMs by then
9, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union education minister Smriti Irani and rejection of the
a White Paper on the economy contrasting ten years of T.S.R. Subramanian Committee’s National Education Pol-
“misgovernance” by the Congress-led UPA government icy Report 2016, in the second term (2019-24), the pace of
(2004-2014) with a decade of BJP rule during which the reform gathered momentum. In its 2014 election manifesto,

42 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2024