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Education News

universities also poses the danger form and large-scale stu-
of diluting formal higher secondary dent migration within the
schooling to the advantage of edtech state during the pandemic.
and coaching/tutorial companies However, the SARAL plat-
that drill and skill students to pass form is designed to ac-
examinations rather than acquire in- knowledge student trans-
depth knowledge of subjects. “There fers and admissions to
is a danger that CUET will enhance other schools within the
the coaching culture which had be- state.
come very popular with school leav- Allegations of fake en-
ing students preparing for national rolments are falling on
exams such as IIT-JEE and NEET. receptive ears because Ma-
Coaching schools prepare students to harashtra has a history of
do well in exams rather than acquire inflating student numbers
deep knowledge, creativity and Brijmohan Mishra: CBI inquiry call in government schools. In
problem solving skills,” says Prof. 2011, a state-wide survey
Dinesh Singh, the visionary former the number of students in government found as many as 2.4 million fake stu-
vice chancellor of Delhi University. and aided schools has been bloated by dents enroled in government schools.
The hasty promulgation of CUET 4.8 million. In 1,400 of these schools, only 50 per-
without debate reminiscent of the Since 2015, all school admissions cent of the total number enroled were
agriculture reform laws introduced in the state have been linked to the actually attending class. However,
and repealed last year — particularly 12-digit Aadhaar card issued by the teacher deployments and student en-
with undergrad college principals — Unique Identification Authority of titlements (scholarships, books, uni-
is likely to clash with the proposal India on behalf of the Union govern- forms, admin expenses and mid-day
in the National Education Policy, ment. However, for the first time Ma- meals payments) were made on the
2020 to confer greater autonomy harashtra’s education ministry has full complement of students recorded
on colleges to transform them into compared the number of Aadhaar on the SARAL platform.
multi-disciplinary universities. It is cards issued to school students with ollowing this scam, in 2012 Brij-
unlikely that autonomous universi- the actual number of children enroled Fmohan Mishra, a teacher from
ties will admit students solely on the in government and aided schools. The Maharashtra’s Beed district, filed a
basis of CUET scores. A statement of huge mismatch suggests a scam per- PIL (public interest litigation) writ
purpose essay as required by Ameri- petrated by corrupt education min- against the Maharashtra government,
ca’s autonomous universities and/or istry officials in cahoots with school praying for action against schools that
interview is quite on the cards. managements. report excess student numbers with
Autar Nehru (Delhi) The Maharashtra government intent to avail government grants on
which allocated Rs.64,000 crore for the basis of inflated enrolments.
MAHARASHTRA education in the state budget 2022-23 Responding to charges of bogus
Bloated enrolments presented to the legislative assembly Aadhaar registrations, the school edu-
on March 11, spends Rs.45,000 per
cation department has set up commit-
scandal student annually. Grants for student tees comprising taluka-level education
officers to verify the incongruities re-
entitlements and teacher salaries are
awarded to schools based on the num- ported by schools. However, the huge
HE MAHARASHTRA EDUCATION min- ber of students enrolled. Therefore, number of enrolments shown on the
istry’s drive to match govern- a large number of government and basis of fake Aadhaar registrations
Tment and government-aided government aided schools are receiv- prompted Mishra to file another PIL
schools’ student enrolments with their ing grants for ‘ghost’ students. It’s a (Brijmohan S/o Dhirajprasad Mishra
UID (unique identification number) moot point where the amounts paid vs. State of Maharashtra & Ors.) in
aka Aadhaar card registrations, has into the bank accounts of schools for February this year demanding a CBI
opened a Pandora’s box. Of the 2.1 non-existent students vanish. enquiry into the matter.
million students enroled on the min- Unsurprisingly, officials of the “Even if we consider school teacher
istry’s online portal, SARAL, 1.9 mil- school education department are appointments based on the 1:40 teach-
lion have fake Aadhaar cards while underplaying the mismatch between er-pupil ratio, it means the state has
another 2.9 million have been enroled Aadhaar registrations and student en- appointed 48,462 teachers for 1.9 mil-
without the mandatory Aadhaar reg- rolments, attributing discrepancies to lion non-existent students. Further, if
istration. Translated, this means that technical glitches in the SARAL plat- the existence of as many as 4.8 mil-

18 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2022