Evidence lacunae

The cover story on alternative education (EW July) was a great read and inspired me to search for an alternative school for my toddler. However, I wish you had given names of prominent alumni from established alternative schools such as Rishi Valley, or their board examination results to show how well their students perform in conventional exam assessment systems and the competitive jobs market. Ashwini Muthiah Bangalore Shocking inclusion Congratulations for staging the successful EW India Higher Education Rankings 2018-19 Awards seminar-cum-awards nite (EW July). All the keynote addresses were excellent. In particular, Nitin Pais essay ‘Explaining Indias higher education decline was illuminating. I agree with his argument that government funding is flowing into wrong institutions of higher education. A classic example to prove this point is the BJP governments recent ‘Institute of Eminence award tag and a Rs.1, 000-crore grant to selected higher ed institutions. Although the intent of the governments expert committee was to select 20 institutions, it said it could only find six worthy (IIT-B, IIT-D, IISc, MAHE, BITS and Jio) institutions. While the first five are unexceptional choices, selection of the Jio Institute — which exists only on paper — of the Reliance Foundation, is a shocking example of crony capitalism. Instead, the committee could have included Hyderabad Central University, well-known for delivering high quality social sciences education, and exemplary private institutions such as Ashoka, O.P. Jindal and Azim Premji universities and the greenfield KREA University endorsed by Raghuram Rajan. Meera Saigal Trivandrum In the works Thanks for your well-written cover story on alternative school education (EW July). However, you have wrongly stated that the Inodai Waldorf School, Mumbai is affiliated with the UK-based Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE). Though we plan to apply for affiliation with CAIE, we are not yet formally affiliated with it. Bindu Chowdary Trustee, Inodai Waldorf School Mumbai We regret the error — Editor Absurd argument Re your editorial ‘Disappointing four years of BJP rule (EW July). Those who were taken in by noise bytes — which caused UPA II to slide into listlessness and torpor in media res — into expecting far-right economic reforms, must indeed be sorely disappointed. To Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and all others who perceive no visible or palpable progress, NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar holds out the assurance that the NDA has initiated deep structural reforms whose impact will be manifested later. Kumars remark that Sen is unaware of the cleaner… inclusive and more caring economy that this dispensation has ushered in because he hasnt spent some time within India and actually looked at conditions on the ground is absurd. One doesnt have to be inside the country to know whats happening in India. Shyam Narasimha Bangalore Graphic Era displeasure Re the EW India Higher Education Rankings 2018-19 published in your May issue, we are displeased with Graphic Era Deemed University being ranked #2 in Uttarakhand. Established by the Graphic Era Educational Society in 1997, we have the distinction of being the first self-financed…