Page 19 - EW March 2021

the Karnataka State Minorities Moreover, with the full backing
Educational Institutions Federa- of the TMC government, the state
tion challenging the Karnataka state government-funded Jadavpur Uni-
government’s 30 percent tuition fees versity (estb.1905) has unitedly and
reduction order to private schools, unequivocally defied two notifications
on February 24, the Karnataka high issued by the Delhi-based University
court ordered the state government Grants Commission, a subsidiary of
to file its reply within ten days. the Union education ministry.
Bandana Brahmin (Bengaluru) The first notification issued on Jan-
uary 15 (since rescinded) required all
WEST BENGAL universities and higher education in-
Education trump card stitutions to obtain permission of the
Union external affairs ministry prior
to any faculty participating in online
HE ELECTION Commission of In- conferences, seminars and/or training
dia has announced that West programmes. The second UGC notifi-
TBengal’s legislative assembly cation of February 16 rejected by JU,
election will be conducted in eight pertained to encouraging the univer-
phases between March 27 and April sity’s students to write a ‘cow science’
29. Therefore acrimony between the test to be conducted nationally by the
ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Rashtriya Kamadhenu Aayog, a sub-
the BJP, which has replaced the CPM sidiary of the Union ministry of fisher-
(Communist Party of India-Marxist) ies and animal husbandry.
that ruled the state uninterruptedly With reference to the January 15 technology platforms, has won TMC
for 34 years (1977-2011) as the main notification, speaking on behalf of JU, and chief minister Mamata Banerjee
opposition party in the state (pop.91 P art h a P rat i m B i s w as , professor of the admiration of the state’s influen-
million), has become more fierce. construction engineering, comment- tial b hadralok (refined middle class)
Seeking a mandate for a consecu- ed: “Campuses must allow free think- on the eve of West Bengal’s most
tive third term while presenting the ing and exchange of views worldwide. fiercely contested legislative assem-
state government’s budget on Feb- If debate and discussion is impeded, bly election.
ruary 5, West Bengal chief minister it can create barriers to the progress As a result, political commentators
Mamata Banerjee announced a slew of research and innovation. The con- who had earlier written off Banerjee’s
of initiatives in the education sector. ditional approach does not work in chances of winning a third consecu-
Among them: Juvashakti, un- academics.” tive term in office are veering around
der which 10,000 students will be Similarly, a statement issued by to the view that with her liberal pro-
inducted as interns in government the ‘Jadavpur Fraternity’ condemned secular education agenda and recently
departments every three years; es- the UGC directive to encourage the provided freebies, Banerjee may prove
tablishment of training centres for study of cow science. “The Jadavpur her critics wrong again.
100 IAS and IPS aspirants, promot- Fraternity would appeal to other col- Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)
ing 100 new Nepali, Urdu, Kamtapuri leges and UGC to rethink the unsci-
and Kurmali medium schools; Rs.50 entific direction this examination will MADHYA PRADESH
crore allotted for 500 new Alchiki or give to the education system of the
Santhali language schools and recruit- country. University research should Fees payment tussle
ment of 1,500 para-teachers for them, be conducted in scientific disciplines
and Rs.50 crore for 100 new English well-funded by the government, with- HE ISSUE OF FEES PAYABLE BY
medium schools for the SC/ST and ec- out any scope for diversion aimed at parents of children in private
onomically weaker sections. In sharp undermining science.” Tunaided schools during the
contrast to the BJP-led government The TMC government’s pro-edu- pandemic close down which is con-
at the Centre slashing the 2021-22 cation budget presented on Febru- vulsing the nation, has not bypassed
budget for education by 6.13 percent ary 5 at a time when over 200 million the Hindi heartland state of Madhya
to Rs.93,224 crore (cf. Rs.99,300 children in India have lost a full year Pradesh (pop.73 million), India’s
crore budgeted for 2020-21), the of formal schooling due to the pan- largest state by land area (308,245
state government’s education budget demic, and teachers have faced heavy sq. km). On February 12, following
for next year is 12.3 percent higher at job losses and are suffering extreme a public march by agitated parents
Rs.37,059 crore. stress in training themselves on new in Bhopal — the admin capital of the

MARCH 2021 EDUCATIONWORLD 19