Page 16 - EW JAN 2022

Education News

scams are the tip of the iceberg. An the state recorded 8,449 new cases.
independent judicial inquiry is neces- “We have requested the state gov-
sary to get to the bottom of these on- ernment to accord top priority to the
going scandals. The usual transfer or health and well-being of children and
suspension is not sufficient response,” immediately suspend all in-person
says Rajesh Pandya, vice-president classes in schools and colleges in
of the Mumbai-based Teachers Demo- districts reporting high numbers of
cratic Front (TDF, estb.2004). Covid-19 infections. Parents are fear-
Meanwhile, according to ASER ful and don’t want to send children
2019 ‘Early Years’ Report, published to school as many in the medical fra-
annually by the Pratham educa- ternity have predicted that the third
tion foundation, 31 percent of class wave will hit children. The state’s
III children in Maharashtra’s rural education minister testing Covid-19
government primaries cannot read positive has also frightened parents.
a class I textbook. In 2018, 23.3 per- Moreover, many private schools are
cent couldn’t. This means that chil- not being transparent and failing
dren’s learning outcomes in India’s to report on-campus Covid positive
most industrial state accounting for cases,” says Chidananda P.E, an
25 percent of national manufacturing office-bearer of Voice of Parents.
output, are going from bad to worse. But reluctance to reopen schools
Hardly surprising if thousands of following 65-70 weeks of lockdown
teachers recruited annually are under- is a minority middle and upper class havoc in India and abroad and gov-
qualified frauds. phenomenon. Parents and chil- ernments experimented with shut-
Dipta Joshi (Mumbai) dren from bottom-of-the-pyramid ting down schools for varying lengths
households cooped up for over 18 of time, “the biggest lesson learnt” is
KARNATAKA months in cramped homes without that the damage caused to children’s
Rising anger Internet connectivity and digital learning and future prospects is ir-
devices can’t wait for schools to
reparable and devastating. “This is
reopen in earnest. Comments D. especially true of children born into
n line with other states such as Shashi Kumar, general secretary, low-income homes with poor Inter-
West Bengal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh Associated Managements of Private net connectivity and digital equip-
Iand Haryana, following a sudden Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), which ment. Their cognitive development is
spurt in Covid-19 infections triggered has a membership of 3,900 mainly seriously endangered,” he warns.
by the Omicron variant, Karnataka’s budget private schools: “After almost his trend is confirmed by the An-
BJP government has ordered an 64 weeks of lockdown, schools have Tnual Status of Education Report
immediate shutdown of primary-sec- started to report good student at- (ASER) 2020 Karnataka Rural
ondary schools and switch to online tendance. In class X, our schools are published by the highly-respected
instruction with effect from January seeing almost 90 percent attendance. Pratham Education Foundation.
6. Optional on-campus classes are With our member schools strictly fol- ASER 2020 says that 56.8 percent
permitted for classes X-XII students lowing Covid protocols and ensuring of class I students surveyed cannot
and for medical, paramedical and social distancing and temperature recognise/read Kannada language
nursing colleges. Meanwhile even checks, they are safer than wed- alphabets (cf. 40 percent in 2018)
before the closure order most CBSE, dings, malls and restaurants. After and only 34 percent of class V
CISCE and international boards the unbearably prolonged March students can read a class II text (cf.
affiliated schools in Bengaluru had 2020-November 2021 lockdown, 46 percent). The decline in maths
switched to the online mode as ma- government’s top priority should be learning is worse. An estimated 42
jority of parents are refusing to send to ensure that youngest children’s percent of class I students cannot
children to school after the outbreak learning is not lost forever. Schools recognise numbers from one to nine
of Omicron variant. including pre-primaries and prima- (cf. 30 percent in 2018). Only 17.3
Voice of Parents, a Bengaluru- ries should be restarted right now. percent of class III students are able
based parents’ association, has Expert medical opinion is clear that to do subtraction sums (cf. 26.3 per-
demanded that the BJP govern- children are the least susceptible to cent) and only 38.9 percent of class
ment immediately shut all primary- Covid infection.” VIII students can do simple division
secondary schools in light of rising According to Shashi Kumar, two sums.
Covid-19 infections. On January 7, years after the pandemic spread Meanwhile, in an unambiguous

16 EDUCATIONWORLD JANUARY 2022