Page 14 - EW may 2026

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dergraduate admissions are teaching based, and free from political influ-
focus, class size, experiential learn- ence.
ing, and economic outcomes. Sowrabh Tripathi via EMAIL
This nuanced framework offers
students and parents a clearer, more
relevant assessment of America’s Timely reminder
best undergrad colleges which are GEORGIE ROSS’ thoughtful
separate and distinct from usually Teacher-2-Teacher essay ‘Oracy:
top-ranked American universities. A A Skill Artificial Intelligence Can-
brilliant, well-argued feature! not Replace’ (EW April) is a timely
Shreya Mathur reminder of the irreplaceable value
GURUGRAM of human communication. It insight-
fully argues that while AI can process
information with speed and preci-
Resonating profile sion, it cannot replicate the nuance,
YOUR PEOPLE profile of Vidya empathy, and spontaneity of spoken
APRIL 2026 Jayaraman ‘Maths Phobia Banisher’ interaction.
(EW April) deeply resonated with me Ross persuasively advocates oracy
as I have personally struggled with as a foundational life skill that de-
Valuable guide fear of mathematics throughout my velops critical thinking, confidence,
CONGRATULATIONS Education- childhood. Your story draws much- and meaningful social engagement —
World for publishing India’s best needed attention to ‘math phobia’ qualities machines inherently lack.
private and government universities and offers hope that child-friendly By emphasising these qualities,
rankings tables (EW April). I fully pedagogies children can overcome she has drawn attention to the need
appreciate the rigorous methodol- this phobia and enable children to for education to go beyond academ-
ogy, drawing on the knowledge of discover their true potential. ics and nurture confident, articulate
higher education faculty, college At the same time, I strongly be- individuals. I hope educators recog-
students and industry leaders. My lieve that school managements and nise and promote oral communica-
compliments also for the apposite teachers must play a more empa- tion and debate skills in children.
parameters on which universities thetic role in creating stress-free, Divya Bannerjee via E-MAIL
are ranked, including competence supportive environments to address
of faculty, research and innovation, this challenge. Research studies have
industry interface, infrastructure, consistently maintained that a child’s Vital transition
and placements. emotional state directly impacts his/ YOUR EXPERT Comment essay
Overall, the Top 400 universities her ability to learn. ‘From Jugaad to Disciplined Frugal
league table is a valuable guide for Prajwal Gowda Innovation’ (EW April) brilliantly
aspiring students and their parents BENGALURU captures evolution of the Indian
to make well-informed higher educa- jugaad spirit — moving from ad-
tion choices. hoc, makeshift ‘hacks’ to a more
Shruthi Peter NCERT autonomy structured, disciplined, and scalable
KOCHI YOUR DELHI education news engineering approach.
‘Suspect autonomy’ which analyses This transition is vital for India
the NCERT textbooks controversy, to move beyond temporary quick
Separate & distinct exposes troubling tensions between fixes and lead the global market with
MANY THANKS to Raymond academic freedom and political high-quality, cost-effective solutions
Ravaglia for piloting the revealing interference. It highlights how that are sustainable and reproduc-
‘America’s Best Undergrad Educa- textbook revisions — marked by ible. By highlighting how we can
tion Universities’ feature (EW April). arbitrary omissions — undermine retain our innate jugaad ingenuity
It is very educative to learn that institutional credibility and raise while infusing it with professional
conventional international rankings legitimate concerns about ideological rigour and systematic design, this
of universities that highlight research interference from the ruling party. essay provides a timely and clear
output, citations and endowment It rightly underscores the urgent roadmap for the nation’s future
corpus, are inaccurate indicators of need to safeguard the autonomy of entrepreneurs and educators.
undergraduate education excellence. NCERT and ensure that curricular Kinny Joseph
The parameters that matter in un- decisions are transparent, evidence- DELHI

14 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2026