Academicians have pointed out glaring mistakes and the practical shortcomings in the R Govinda committee report on ‘Structural Upgradation and Reorganisation of School Education’, which is open for objections from the public.
One of the objections filed by a group of academicians is about the lack of clarity in the report.
One objection states, “In page 27, the report speaks of removing class 8 from existing high schools and of adding classes 6 and 7 to existing high schools.
What does the government intend to do? Remove class 8 from high school or add class 6 and 7 to high school?” The report has been criticised for its ‘one-sided’ approach.
“The report has been prepared keeping only the government institutions in view. At the elementary level, 70 per cent are government institutions, whereas at the high school level only 33 per cent are government institutions, 24 per cent are private aided institutions and 43 per cent are private unaided institutions.
How will the government implement its policies when at the high school level a majority of institutions are private ones starting from class 8?” The committee was appointed by the Government to understand how school education can be changed to get class 8 into the primary education bracket to fall in line with the Constitutional mandate of providing primary education for children aged 6 to 14 years.
“Under the Central government’s policy of ‘Universalisation of Secondary Education’, education has to be provided to every child up to class 10. Then why does it matter where class 8 is located - whether in a higher primary school or a high school? The constitutional mandate can still be implemented by strengthening existing schools with better infrastructure, quality teachers, better classroom transaction and better assessment of quality,” states one objection.
Education consultant V P Niranjan Aradhya called the report ‘incomplete’ and ‘unscientific’. He said, “The fundamental question of reorganisation should be how to remove disparity and how commercialisation and privatization can be prevented.
The report suggests merger of schools with enrolment of less than 30 without trying to reason why children are not attending schools. This report has to go to the dustbin.”
The report can be accessed at www.ssakarnataka.gov.in.
Objections can be emailed to rmsakar@gmail.com till September 10.