Call in CIE!

The cover story profiling the UK-based Cambridge International Examinations (EW October) was enlightening. The diligent and meticulous manner in which this exams board revises and updates its syllabuses every six years is an example to our Indian exams boards, particularly state boards. Sadly in India, most state boards revise syllabuses after 15-20 years and even then, it’s a ritual process involving faux educationists chosen by politicians and bureaucrats. Important stakeholders such as academics, parents and teachers, and industry leaders are seldom consulted. That’s why a majority of our school-leavers are ill-prepared for university education, and subsequently the workplace. In his interview, CIE chief executive Michael O’Sullivan says the Cambridge-based board is advising several national governments to formulate their school syllabuses. Therefore, it would be advisable for India’s laggard state governments to elicit CIE’s help in designing syllabuses and also formulating assessment systems which go beyond the sudden death final exams which test and reward rote memorisation. In today’s globalised world, it’s not good enough for our students to shine nationally. They must be prepared to compete with the best worldwide. Sundar Rao Hyderabad Wrong category In your EducationWorld India School Rankings 2016 published in September, you have ranked day, boarding and international schools separately. Unfortunately, you have listed Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar under the co-ed day schools category. Please note we are a boys boarding school affiliated with CBSE. Please issue a corrigendum in your next issue. Swami Tyagarupananda Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar, Jharkhand We regret the error — Editor Bitter surprise In the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2016 (EW September), DPS, Indira Nagar, Lucknow is ranked #10 in Uttar Pradesh and #6 in Lucknow in the co-ed day schools category. This ranking has come as a bitter surprise to us as our school has always performed well in the areas of curricular and co-curricular education. In 2015, our school won great laurels and accolades. Even your magazine had ranked us #4 in Lucknow city and #8 in the state in your survey last year. It’s strange that no one from your end came to collect our data in spite of various reminders. It is ironical how the results have been declared when the information still rests with us. Where is the authenticity of your rankings? Ghazala Afsar Principal, Delhi Public School, Indira Nagar, Lucknow All schools in the league tables are rated and ranked according to the perceptions of an independent, variable sample of respondents. Please see page 42 of our September issue for the rankings methodology — Editor Brexit opportunity Thank you for your brilliant editorial on unwarranted Brexit apprehensions (EW August). It is wise as it is succinct, and as always most beautifully written. It was a joy to read an example of English writing at its best. Your points are very well made. I really don’t know why the self-styled intellectuals tend to be so dismissive of imperial achievement at its best. A common link language, legal system, training of an elite that could govern…