Page 17 - EducationWorld March 2023

which the oiled wheels of corrup- teachers are worried they won’t be
tion spin as usual. The consensus of appointed because they have crossed
opinion in this hitherto well-governed the age limit of 40 years.
state is that corruption in education With teacher appointments
is too deeply entrenched for any gov- continuously disrupted over the past
ernment to root out. Meanwhile, with ten years, the condition of govern-
corruption scandals making headlines ment school children is extremely
everyday, the chances of BJP being re- dismal, especially after the 99-weeks
turned to power are also diminishing lockdown of schools statewide —
by the day. longest duration countrywide (India
Summiya Yasmeen (Bengaluru) average 82 weeks). According to a
survey by the West Bengal Samagra
WEST BENGAL Shiksha Mission, despite the state
Belated awareness government’s remedial education
programme, 25,646 students have
dropped out from primary schools
he west bengal board of Prima- statewide after the pandemic.
ry Education recently declared Meanwhile within West Bengal’s
Tresults of the Teacher Eligibil- bhadralok (refined middle class), an- Mamata Banerjee: swelling anger
ity Test (TET), held on December 11, ger is swelling against chief minister
2022 at 1,460 exam centres across Mamata Banerjee for “totally ne- Budget 2023-24 the government
the state. Teachers are being hired glecting” government schools during allocated Rs.45,812 crore for public
for 11,000 vacant posts in 67,699 the prolonged Covid shutdown. education — a 10 percent rise over
state government and aided primary The poor condition of pub- Budget 2022-23. This year’s Budget
schools. TET 2022 was held under lic school education in Bengal is was presented on February 15 by
tight police vigilance. That’s because confirmed by the Annual Status of minister of state for finance Chan-
teacher recruitment has been hit by Education Report (ASER) 2022 of drima Bhattacharya — a bona fide
several scandals since 2012. the independent Pratham Education academic. The higher allocation has
A total of 619,000 candidates Foundation. Alarmingly, younger been welcomed by the academic
— 69,408 female and 81,077 male children have been worst hit with community. However, many are
— wrote the exam. Of the 619,000 only 33 percent of class III children sceptical about expenditure effi-
who wrote the exam, 150,000 (24.31 able to read class II-level texts while ciency.
percent) including 69,408 women the percentage of class V students Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)
qualified. To ensure transparency, who can read class II-level texts has
this time around the education min- decreased to 47.1 from 50.5 percent TAMIL NADU
istry uploaded the OMR sheets so all in 2018.
who wrote TET 2022 could see their Debasish Dutta, president of RTE reimbursement
total marks in detail. the All Bengal Teachers’ Association,
While there is a general sense of says that standards of public school revolt
jubilation among youth, many of education in Bengal started declin-
those who wrote the test and quali- ing from the very first term of the n end-february, tamil nadu’s Fed-
fied are apprehensive about actual Mamata Banerjee government which eration of Private School Associa-
recruitment. Many candidates who came to power in 2011. Citing IANS Itions (FePSA) issued a statement
passed TET 2014 and TET 2017 (Indo-Asian News Service), Dutta warning that its member schools will
haven’t been appointed because of says: “In March 2011, there were not admit free-of-charge children as
high court stay orders. According to 74,717 state-run primary schools in mandated by the Right to Education
a Calcutta high court order, appoint- West Bengal. This number declined (RTE) Act, 2009, for the academic
ment of duly qualified teachers will to 67,699 in March, 2022. The num- year 2023-24, unless the DMK-run
begin only after all teachers who ber of children enrolled in state-run state government clears its dues of the
passed TET 2014 and TET 2017 are primary schools has dwindled from previous two years.
appointed. 7.8 million to 7.1 million.” Under the RTE Act, 2009 (s.12
With TETs not having been held Somewhat belatedly, the TMC (1) (c)), poor children residing in the
for five years (2018-2022), West government seems to have taken neighbourhood of private schools
Bengal’s unemployment problem cognizance of the dismal condition have to be admitted with government
has ballooned. Some TET qualified of government schools. In the state obliged to partially pay for these chil-

MARCH 2023 EDUCATIONWORLD 19