Page 16 - Education World July 2020

Education News

the court order is likely to bring some demic,” says Banwasi.
relief to school managements, for Meanwhile, on July 7, an
teachers the outlook remains cloudy. expert committee constituted
Dipta Joshi (Mumbai) by the Karnataka govern-
ment on June 11 and chaired
KARNATAKA by M.K. Sridhar, educationist
Battle won and member of the Dr. K.
Kasturirangan Committee
that drafted the National
N OUT-OF-THE-BLUE STATEWIDE Education Policy 2019,
ban imposed by the Karna- submitted a 51-page report
Ataka government on online prescribing online learning
teaching-learning in pre-primaries guidelines to the Karnataka
and lower primary (up to class V) government. The expert com-
schools on June 15, provoked mass Pruthvi Banwasi: illogical ceiling mittee has recommended
outrage within middle class parents the blended learning
and teachers’ communities and VIII and four periods of 30-45 min- model — traditional synchronous
resulted in a writ petition filed in utes for five days for classes IX-X. and online learning and has doubled
the Karnataka high court by several “I don’t understand why the the time children should spend in
private schools grouped under an government needs to microman- formal online learning with their
informal alliance. age education institutions run by teachers.
Stating that it had received qualified professionals at a time owever on July 8, the Karnataka
several complaints from parents teachers are pulling out all stops to Hhigh court passed an interim
about children being compelled to maintain continuity of learning. We order staying the government orders
spend long hours before computer have invested large sums in online issued on June 15 and 27. A division
terminals and digital devices, the infrastructure to ensure that chil- bench comprising Chief Justice Oka
state government imposed the ban dren don’t lose interest in learning. and Justice Nataraj Rangaswamy
in mid-June without consultation Therefore, the arbitrary ban imposed observed that there is no provision in
with school managements. Following without consultation with represen- the Karnataka Education Act, 1983
widespread anger and indignation tative school associations is uncon- that empowers government to ban
from parents and educators and over stitutional,” says Dr. R atna Gho s e, any type of education. Moreover, the
40,000 protest tweets on Twitter on an alumna of Calcutta University court stated the ban is a violation of
June 21, a government spokesperson with 32 years of teaching and admin the fundamental right of children to
cited a report by the Bangalore- experience in top-ranked schools and life and education guaranteed by Ar-
based National Institute of Mental universities, and currently principal ticles 21 and 21A of the Constitution.
Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIM- of the CBSE-affiliated Capstone High The court’s judgement — and par-
HANS) to the effect that “excessive School, Bangalore (estb.2014). ticularly its rejection of the populist
screen time” is harmful for youngest Pruthvi B anw as i, general argument advanced by government
children. Admitting the writ petition secretary, Karnataka Council of Pre- counsel that the petitioners were a
of private schools on June 19, Chief Schools (KCPS, estb.2015) which has consortium of “elite schools who can
Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka of the 2,000 members statewide, describes afford online education” — has come
Karnataka high court observed the the 30 minutes per week ceiling on as a welcome relief to educators and
government’s decision was “ill-con- online learning for preschool chil- principals struggling to ensure learn-
sidered” and posted hearing of the dren prescribed by the government ing continuity for students.
petition to June 29. as “unreasonable” and “illogical”. “If The court caustically observed
Following the Twitter storm of online learning for our children is re- that instead of imposing curbs on
June 21 and the caustic observations stricted to 30 minutes per week, we online learning in private schools,
of the court, on June 27, the state won’t be able to complete teaching government should introduce online
government revoked its order of the alphabet to children by the end of learning in state schools. “I am very
June 15 and prescribed 30 minutes the academic year 2020-21. Private pleased with the court’s verdict. It
per week of online learning for education has already been severely specifically directs the government to
pre-primary classes; two periods of damaged by needless interference level up its schools rather than pull
30-45 minutes three days per week and micromanagement by the state private schools down,” says N o o -
for classes I-V; two periods of 30-45 government and official meddling raine F az al, managing trustee of
minutes for five days for classes VI- has become worse during the pan- the top-ranked Inventure Academy

16 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2020