Page 24 - EW September 2025 Final

Education News

ies that say learning three languages Report 2024-25 released last month,
improves the cognitive capabilities Karnataka has the second highest
of children. Moreover, under the number of secondary school (classes
draft SEP, the state government IX-X) dropouts (18.3 percent) after
will prescribe its own textbooks West Bengal (18.75).
of dubious quality. This will prove Reshma Ravishanker (Bangalore)
a setback for Karnataka students
because national entrance test ques- WEST BENGAL
are based on NCERT texts. This SEP Accelerating decline
tion papers for IIT-JEE and NEET
draft is politically motivated, and
the Thorat Committee has not kept fter a 117-day delay, results
children’s interests in mind,” says D. of the West Bengal Joint En-
Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Atrance Examination (WBJEE)
Associated Managements of Primary for admission into the state’s 96 engi-
and Secondary Schools in Karnataka neering colleges, were finally declared
which has a membership of 20,000 on August 22.
private schools statewide. This prolonged delay in publishing
B.N. Yogananda, director of the the WBJEE results is the outcome of
RTE Students’ Parents’ Association, the state’s Trinamool Congress (TMC)
a Bengaluru-based parents and activ- government led by fiery chief minis-
ists body working towards better ter Mamata Banerjee (now in her third
Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 term in office), increasing the reserved OBC quota in 2012, the Kolkata high
implementation, also believes that quota for mainly Muslim OBCs (other court invalidated it in 2014 on the
the three language formula mandat- backward castes) in state government ground that the selected communities
ed by NEP 2020 should be retained higher education institutions (HEIs) had been granted OBC status on the
in Karnataka’s SEP with Kannada way back in 2012. For the same rea- basis of religion which is not permit-
made compulsory as one of the three son the state’s online portal displaying ted under the Constitution and case
languages. Moreover he queries why the names of school-leavers admitted law. On appeal, in August 2020, the
the SEP draft has not been released into the state’s 460 arts, science and Supreme Court granted the state gov-
for public debate. commerce (ASC) colleges was also de- ernment an opportunity to justify in-
The report reached Chief Minister layed, opening on August 22. clusion of 77 communities in the OBC
“Siddaramaiah’s office a month According to monitors of West Ben- category, reiterating that reservation
ago. Why hasn’t the SEP draft been gal’s higher education system which is on the basis of religion is prohibited
released for public discussion and rapidly losing its once shining allure, by Article 15 of the Constitution.
debate? This is important to deter- truncation of the next academic year In March 2025, the TMC govern-
mine the status of Kannada which is a minor problem which can be made ment assured the apex court that it
is Karnataka’s official language. My good by extra time tuition. A greater would complete a fresh assessment
own sentiment is that the three lan- cause for concern is that such delays of the 77 communities within three
guage formula debated for decades are prompting the state’s brightest months. After submission of the list,
and endorsed by NEP 2020, is in and best school-leavers to write en- on July 28 the Supreme Court stayed
the interest of Karnataka’s children trance exams and complete admission the Calcutta high court decision to
as it will enable them to learn their processes of colleges in neighbouring freeze West Bengal government’s 2012
mother tongue, the state’s history and other states. Such routine delays list of OBCs, allowing the government
and culture through Kannada and are accelerating a brain drain from to submit a revised list. Chief Justice
converse with and conduct business West Bengal. “A substantial number of of India B.R. Gavai expressed surprise
with citizens of other states through WBJEE toppers had already settled in at the high court’s reasoning, observ-
English. This issue needs to be thor- colleges in other states before results ing that grant of reservation quotas
oughly debated,” says Yogananda. were declared. Because of petty poli- is an executive function, established
Meanwhile even as the state’s pol- tics, West Bengal’s higher education since the 1992 Indra Sawhney Case
iticians incessantly debate languages institutions are being hollowed out,” judgement. “Prima facie the order is
to be imposed on tiny children — rues the dean of a capital-intensive totally erroneous,” said CJI Gavai re-
despite the Supreme Court having Kolkata-based engineering college. questing the Chief Justice of the Cal-
ruled on the issue over a decade ago The back story on this issue is that cutta high court to constitute a special
— according to the latest UDISE+ after Banerjee decreed the additional bench to re-hear the case.

24 EDUCATIONWORLD SEPTEMBER 2025