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Special Report

Francis Joseph tory body or a shadow ministry of
Co-founder, SLN Foundation, Mumbai education in every state with equal
participation of experts and prac-
titioners from public and private
ell-known educationist schools, research organisations, par-
Francis Joseph, who has
Wover 25 years experience in ents, legal experts and government
authorities.
education management in India and • Set up a government recognised
the Middle East, is the co-founder virtual school board, ensuring access
of School Leaders Network (SLN) and affordability of learners to online
Foundation (estb.2015) which works education.
with 720 private and public schools
countrywide to promote collabora- Anirudh Gupta
tion and sharing of best teaching-
learning practices. CEO, DCM Group of Schools
NEP 2020 overview. It’s a forward step n engineering and business
in the right direction. The policy’s management alum of Punjabi
focus on student learning outcomes AUniversity, Patiala, Anirudh
and achieving foundational literacy Gupta is CEO of the DCM Group of
and numeracy skills will positively Schools (estb.1947) comprising six
impact Indian education. The univer- K-12 schools across Punjab with an
salisation of early childhood educa- that private schools are commercial, aggregate enrolment of 20,000 stu-
tion, multi-disciplinary curricular exploitative and indulge in unfair dents instructed by 1,200 faculty.
and pedagogy approach, and focus practice has wide currency. This What is your overview of the NEP 2020
on vocational education holds a lot of perception is wrong and needs to released last month?
promise for the future generation. change. Most recent government NEP 2020 is an excellent docu-
The establishment of State School policies have been framed without
Regulatory Authority (SSRA) is any research and consultation with ment aligned to the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals and
welcome provided it is balanced with important stakeholders such as
equal participation of all stake- school managements, parents, legal five pillars of access, equity, qual-
ity, affordability and accountability.
holders and adopts a consultative, experts and education boards. Faulty
transparent and accountable ap- populist policies can seriously dam- Suggested reforms such as setting
up a gender inclusion fund, strong
proach in its functioning. However, age the private school ecosystem,
the success of NEP 2020 will depend creating a cloud of confusion and emphasis on foundational lit-
eracy and numeracy, elimination of
on its implementation and cultural distrust among stakeholders. This
adaptability, especially at the state will discourage private investment in rigid boundaries between academic
streams, and universalisation of edu-
and district levels. school education.
cation from preschool to secondary
Switch of K-12 schools to online/blended SLN Foundation. The objective of the level are laudable. If implemented
learning during the current Covid-19 School Leaders Network Foundation in its true vision and spirit, I believe
crisis. The compulsory closure of is to upgrade both private and public the policy has the potential to bring
schools induced common pain for all schools through the power of col- India on a par with developed OECD
educators who had to switch to the laboration. Over the past few months countries.
online medium to maintain learning we have worked with school leaders, How satisfied are you with the switch of
continuity. Some positives of this policy makers, education boards and K-12 schools to online/blended learning
transition are that parental engage- influencers to improve teaching- during the current Covid-19 crisis? Is
ment has increased with parents and learning standards across the board. this beneficial for school education?
teachers becoming aware of their SLN has made education policy rec- The switch to online/blended learn-
roles, teachers’ capability to use ommendations to governments and
modern technology has improved education boards, enabled curricu- ing is the best and only option to
continue teaching-learning with min-
vastly, and schools have greatly lum reforms in municipal and state
upgraded digital infrastructure, government schools in Maharashtra, imum academic disruption during
this crisis. This forced transition has
curriculums and innovated differ- and conducted school development
entiated and personalised learning activities for affordable schools run opened up new vistas for learning,
forcing hitherto IT-shy educators to
pedagogies. However though I am by the Western Region Catholic
excited about teachers embracing Foundation for Education. step out of their comfort zones. How-
ever, in India which is steeped in
online technologies, I am hopeful Top 3 proposals for re-inventing India’s
of physical schools reopening soon K-12 education system. poverty and inequality, the transition
to online learning will benefit school
so that students can benefit from a • Grant greater autonomy to private
holistic school experience. education only when every child has
schools especially in curriculum Internet connectivity and access to
Increasing government interference in planning/delivery/assessment and digital devices.
private schools’ fees and online educa- administration.
tion delivery. Unfortunately, the myth • Establish an independent regula- The past few months have witnessed in-
84 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2020