BINAYAK DATTA
LAST week, a national newspaper carried a front-page photograph of boys and girls demonstrating against the CBSE on the now infamous question papers leak, and their banner ominously read: ‘there are only two things missing in the Indian education system – education and system’. And can there possibly be a greater concern for us then what two million boys and girls – the New India of 2022 – seem to be thinking of the education we gave them?
On symptom and disease
I want to take a close look at the issues, not only of the paper leak episode (which to me is only a symptom as the malady itself much greater) in the 70-year-old-creaking system. Let me first focus on the paper leak and its completely inept handling by the CBSE and the Union HRD ministry. And why I call it a ‘symptom’ rather than the disease itself is because what you now read about seems so very easy to happen, with millions of coaching centres and ‘private schools’ mushrooming every other day charging enormous sums of money from hapless boys and girls.
And this is totally bereft of any regulatory oversight. What perplexes me is: why was the practice of different questions across the three sets of papers in each exam as in previous years suddenly reportedly changed? It is a miracle that many more papers didn’t meet with the same fate with the myriad number of paper setters, moderators and printers surrounded by a hungry pack of coaching institutions. What was more spectacular was the CBSE valiantly trying to brush away the monkey from its chest. It did what our public bodies are best at – it went and tried putting the blame squarely on the schools! You are now left guessing why the economics papers of the 12th Standard would be up for a retest and not the mathematics paper of the 10th Standard – both having been leaked out. And remember, this paper leak episode is only another feather added on our already heavily feathered education cap! The others of late, have been history and geography textbooks filled with factual errors, reports of errors in evaluations, reports of inflation of marks by state boards and so on.
Education spend
Let’s look at the big picture first. The BJP had promised the following for education in its manifesto seeking our votes in 2014. First it promised “highest priority” and 6 per cent of GDP as education spend. The current year’s budget outlay is Rs 85,000 crore, not even a 4 per cent hike over actuals of last year (in fact a ‘de-growth’ if you take inflation) and not even 1 per cent of GDP. Out of 194 countries in a UNDP list of education spends, India is at 143, China stands at 105th position with a spend of 5 per cent, Brazil is 70th with 6 per cent and South Africa comes 60th with a spend of 6.5 per cent. This unmistakably speaks of priorities. And, states hardly show better allocations: for example Goa spends around 3 per cent of the GSDP a year on education as compared to Delhi’s 7 per cent, as per the RBI and Brickwork reports on state finances.
Next, the BJP manifesto had promised “credibility” of institutions and transparency in appointments. But the BJP-led government at the Centre did just the opposite: it removed the CBSE chief midterm not caring to explain the “transparency” thereof and the compelling reasons for appointing a former Gujarat election panel chief in his place.
A new national education policy to replace the current one of 1986 and revised in 1992 had been promised. After four years it is yet to be finalised. The draft (out only last year) has gaping holes in it with the commissions silently going on being extended.
I miss in the draft, for example, focus on research and development from the high school level itself. I miss the wherewithal for tackling the shortage of quality teachers and the mechanism for constant upgradation of their knowledge and pedagogy notwithstanding the recommendations of a five-year BE-BEd programme. Scrapping the no-detention policy after the Fifth Standard is good in my view, although I am not sure how the government proposes to comply with the right to education here. It is good we propose foreign universities to set up campus here.
Indian education service
I completely disagree with the draft suggestions of creating an ‘Indian education service’ – a cushy seat of babudom. Whereas I agree our children must be taught well of our cultural and civilisational heritage, I wonder whether the school in faraway Gummudipoondi in Tamil Nadu would ever have such a facility. I only wish wrong teachings of wrong ideologies (if ever there was one) under the aegis of the party in power do not rapidly ‘desecrate’ the New India 2022!
In all of this, you suddenly hear that the syllabi for school education will be slashed by half by 2019. As usual the major stakeholders – parents and children – have no clue whatsoever as to what is being thrown out. It is frankly not the syllabi but the pedagogy which is important, and we are just miserable in our standards.
But all of these are incrementals. We can’t have a robust education system without a robust competitive assessment mechanism. Improved modes of assessments like onscreen tests and simulations, instead of subjective questions, continuous assessments and verifications, grades and feedback along with compulsory updates each year are important in complete revamp of education assessments. This will not only bring out the best in the child, but will also take the stress out from her and aim her towards global citizenship. And it should be clubbed and implemented as one NEET-type examination after the 12th Standard.
The India of tomorrow looks at us for only two things – health and education. I am sure we will not ignore our boys and girls crying “there are only two things missing in the Indian education system – education and system!
Let’s give them both, for that’s why we exist.