Page 15 - EducationWorld June 2020

implementers of directions from ly 8-10 lakh students while
the directorate or district headquar- maintaining safety protocols
ters, to having a central role in our seems very challenging”.
society. And it would be a historical Inevitably, the demand
blunder if we miss this opportunity for cancellation of these ex-
by not entrusting our schools with ams is opposed by the state’s
a bigger and bolder role to prepare main opposition party the
children for a better life and not just BJP and the Akhil Bharatiya
for lessons from their textbooks,” he Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)
wrote suggesting pruned syllabuses, — the youth wing of the
scrapping board exams, intensive right wing Rashtriya Sway-
teacher-training and transformation amsevak Sangh (RSS), the
of schools into “happy places”. ideological mentor of the
This plea made even as the HRD BJP. Writing directly to the
ministry is reportedly giving final Education minister Sawant: sudden tack change Maharashtra governor Ko-
touches to the draft National Educa- shyari (appointed by the
tion Policy 2019 submitted to it by state — 54,758 and 1,792 deaths (May BJP government at the Centre), ABVP
the Kasturirangan Committee last 27), the highest nationwide and climb- requested him to direct the state gov-
May, is timely. Yet it is unlikely to ing — has raised questions about the ernment to hold university final exams
make any impact on Pokhriyal who advisability of holding the academic asap.
is reportedly busily engaged in the year 2019-20 final year exams sched- nsurprisingly, Koshyari, a former
seemingly impossible task of recon- uled for July. UBJP and RSS apparatchik, was
ciling the liberal recommendations While the three-party — the Shiv quick to upbraid Samant’s “unwar-
of the Kasturirangan Committee Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ranted intervention” without consult-
with an education reform blueprint — government has proposed can- ing with the chancellor’s office. In a
reportedly prepared in the Nagpur cellation of all exams, the opposi- letter to the chief minister, Koshyari
headquarters of the Rashtriya Sway- tion Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is described the minister’s demand for
amsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideologi- pressurising state governor Bhagat cancellation of the crucial final year
cal tutor and mentor of the ruling Singh Koshyari, ex-officio chan- exams as “unethical and in violation
BJP at the Centre. cellor of 23 public universities in the of UGC guidelines and also certain
Meanwhile, with the ministry’s state, to hold them. provisions of the Maharashtra Pub-
mandarins dithering over the re- On May 8, in line with the Univer- lic Universities Act, 2016”. He also
opening of schools, the already poor sity Grants Commission (UGC) guide- warned that awarding degrees without
learning outcomes of India’s 500 lines to state governments, higher exams would adversely affect the em-
million children and youth are set to and technical education minister ployment prospects of graduates and
go from bad to worse. Uday Samant, announced across- hurt the credibility of Maharashtra’s
Autar Nehru (Delhi) the-board promotion for first and universities.
second-year university students to the Politicisation of this critical issue
MAHARASHTRA final year. But final year college and has dismayed students representa-
Exam cancellation university students were scheduled to tives. Comments Sachin Bansode,
president, Chhatra Bharti, an inde-
write their graduation exams in July.
However, Samant changed tack af-
politics ter the Yuva Sena — the Shiv Sena’s pendent students union of 15,000
members across 16 districts in the
youth wing headed by Aditya Thac- state: “What was the need for the
ver 1,000,000 final year stu- keray, minister for tourism and en- Yuva Sena to make a public statement
dents of universities across vironment and son of chief minister through letters demanding cancella-
OMaharashtra are exhibiting Uddhav Thackeray — supported the tion of exams when they could have
signs of panic about whether their fi- demand for cancellation of final year bilaterally discussed the issue with ed-
nal pre-graduation exams will be held exams on the ground that students ucation minister Samant, a Shiv Sena
at all this year. If cancelled, those opt- writing them would be exposed to the member? Instead of wasting days
ing to write their final year exams may Covid-19 contagion. This prompted writing unnecessary letters, Samant
have to take a forced gap year with all Samant to write to the UGC (May 17) should have taken a quick survey of
further higher education plans in In- proposing cancellation of final year students and university managements
dia and abroad cancelled. The steady exams stating that “the feasibility of statewide. It’s deplorable that political
rise of Covid-19 positive cases in the conducting the exams of approximate- parties are making political football of

JUNE 2020 EDUCATIONWORLD 15