Page 26 - EducationWorld June 2020

Cover Story

50

LEADERS WHO CAN REVIVE

INDIAN EDUCATION

India’s education system has been devastated by
the national lockdown prompted by the Covid-19
pandemic. The onus of reviving KG-Ph D education has
devolved upon tried and tested institutional leaders

Dilip Thakore & Summiya Yasmeen

O N MARCH 25 WHEN A NATIONAL table. Therefore like the struggling Indian economy which

lockdown was decreed by prime
has been devastated by the national lockdown — GDP is
likely to contract by 5 percent and unemployment is fore-
minister Narendra Modi following
cast to rise to 27 percent — India’s education system from
outbreak of the novel coronavirus
aka Covid-19 pandemic, Indian ed-
preschool to Ph D is certain to suffer a severe setback.
ucation — like the Indian economy
Although school, college and university managements
— was already in bad shape. Last
lectures, the depressing truth is that only a thin sliver of
January (2019) the authoritative claim to have switched to conducting online classes and
and extensively field-tested Annual Status of Education well-funded and efficiently managed private education in-
Report (ASER) 2018 of the Pratham Education Founda- stitutions are dispensing acceptable quality digital learning
tion informed the public that the number of children in and education services to students.
class V who cannot read and comprehend class II textbooks Nevertheless, it is arguable that with the imminent dawn
has risen — rather than reduced — to 56 percent and the of the 5G era in broadband telecom connectivity, blended
percentage of class VIII children who can manage to solve education which combines conventional classroom learn-
simple arithmetic division sums is a mere 40 percent. ing with advanced digital technologies, will not only main-
On May 20, the World University Rankings (WUR) tain continuity in KG-Ph D education, it could dramatically
league table published by the London-based Quacquarelli improve learning outcomes across the spectrum. Yet to
Symonds included only three of India’s 993 universities successfully harness revolutionary technology with con-
among the Top 200 (cf. seven in China). The WUR league ventional pedagogies and inspire teachers and students to
table of Times Higher Education released shortly thereafter make a great and overdue leap forward in academic learn-
doesn’t include any Indian university in its Top 200 league ing outcomes and research, the vital prerequisite is capable

26 EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2020