IE : School reform isn’t child’s play : Sept 28 ,2007
School reform isn’t child’s play – Leher Kala
Posted online: Friday, September 28, 2007 at 0000 hrs Print Email
Shortening pre-primary education won’t Parents seeking admissions for
toddlers in Delhi schools had better brace themselves for some tough times
ahead. On September 26, the Delhi High Court approved the government
recommendation of just one year of pre-primary education. Children must now
be four years old for Nursery and five years old in Class 1.
Currently children in Delhi follow the system of schooling prevalent in most
of the world, like the US and the UK, where there are two years of
pre-schooling before Class 1, which is when formal education begins.
Abolishing a nursery class isn’t going to solve the admission crisis, or
ease pressure on schools or parents. Delhi has approximately 2000 private
schools, which receive an astounding 3000 plus applications per year, all
competing for just 200 seats. There are simply not enough schools to cater
to all the children living in the city. Unlike the West, where people can
opt for state-run schools, government and MCD schools in Delhi have been a
tragic failure and are not an option for urban parents.
The value of two years of pre-primary education should not be
underestimated. Nursery education is mostly through visuals, story-telling
and fun activities, the best way for a young child to up his learning curve.
These two years of easy learning is part of the nurturing and
confidence-building process, essential to produce imaginative, well-rounded
students. The Indian education system is rigorous, and suicides by teenagers
who can’t cope are alarmingly common. Must we now subject kids to additional
pressure and formal learning at 5 when 6 is the norm in most progressive
countries? The Court has maintained that schools that want to continue with
two years of pre-primary schooling can do so, provided they hold fresh
admissions at the KG level. So parents and schools will have to grapple with
the stress of admission twice.
There is yet, something to cheer about. The 100-point system for admission
formulated by the Ashok Ganguly Committee has come under scrutiny, and the
government has been asked to come up with other solutions by November 7.
Though the point system has been revised after protests from schools and
parents, it remains controversial. (If admissions are held according to the
100-point system this year, there are 30 points for distance as opposed to
20 last year, and schools get marginally more autonomy; their discretionary
points have gone up to 25 from 20.) In a city where there is no equitable
distribution of schools, this is grossly unfair. There are over 30 schools
in Vasant Kunj and barely 5 in East Delhi.
There are no simple answers to Delhi’s school crisis. There are over 2000
government schools on prime real estate across the city that nobody wants to
send their kids to. Only once they are overhauled, or privatised, will there
be a classroom for all children.
Publication : IE; Section : Editorial; Pg : 10; Date : 28/9/07
URL : http://www.indianexpress.com/story/221855.html