Ever since Rakesh Sharma, the only Indian astronaut who travelled to space in 1984, we have not witnessed any such expedition by an Indian. After four decades of wait, Capt. Gopichand Thotakura has achieved this feat. He is an Indian civil astronaut selected by Blue Origin for its New Shepard’s 25th Mission, along with five other Astronaut from across the world. Capt. Gopichand grew up at Sarala Birla Academy, a premier residential school at Bangalore, where he took up the IBDP at the +2 level. Thereafter he joined the prestigious Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at Florida, USA and graduated as the senior class president after the completion of a ‘Bachelor of Science’ in Aeronautical Science. During his time there, he performed exceptional tasks and participated in multiple activities to stand out from the rest. He also achieved multiple awards and recognitions at Embry-Riddle, like the Outstanding Leadership Award, Good Samaritan Award, and Outstanding Safety and Dedication Award. Gopichand delivered his graduation commencement speech with astronaut Nicole Stot, a proud moment for him as a commercial pilot. There’s much that he’s achieved so early in life. Capt. Gopichand Thotakura learnt how to fly before he could drive. He is the co-founder of Preserve Life Corp, a global center for holistic wellness and applied health located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In addition to flying jets commercially, Capt. Gopi pilots bush, aerobatic and seaplanes, as well as gliders and hot air balloons and has served as an international medical jet pilot. A lifelong traveler, his longing for adventure took him to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro sometime back. His quest to explore more than just commercial flying enabled him to pursue advanced trainings like Normobaric Chamber Hypoxia High Altitude Lab training, Airline Flight Crew Techniques and Procedures, and he emphasized the importance of Crew Resource Management (CRM). He has also flown experimental aircraft; he owns an Aircam by Lockwood Aviation, a one-of-its-kind three-seater tandem experimental ultralight airplane that he assembled himself. Another major highlight of his young career is his tenure as a pioneer in India’s medical air ambulance missions, where he piloted a Learjet 45XR aircraft in India to uncontrolled and tier 3 city airfields, rescuing trapped wounded citizens who needed immediate medical evacuations. Having flown over 2000 medical medivac missions, carrying a 3-day-old newborn to a 103-year-old man, transporting organs for critical human transplants, and pushing the boundaries of Bombardier’s engine parameters, he has immense experience as an international medical jet pilot. Sarala Birla Academy is of course very happy for – and proud of – its child for all that he’s achieved. But the school feels the happiest for the kind of human being ‘Gopi’ has grown up to be. He’s among the kindest of people and what really sets him apart is his humility. The sky surely is not the limit for Capt, Gopichand Thotakura..! (Much of the above has been taken from an article by – and with the kind permission of – Aviation World) Also read: Sarala…
In this General Election-eve story, we assess the track record of the Modi government — the first non-Congress government to have completed ten years in office in independent India — in early childhood, primary-secondary, skilling and higher education writes Summiya Yasmeen Exciting & promising beginning Praveen Raju is founder-director of the CBSE (Delhi) and Cambridge International (UK)-affiliated Suchitra Academy, Hyderabad (estb.2011), which has over 2,100 children and 230 teachers on its muster rolls. Education track record of the BJP government. I am inclined to take a favourable view of the past decade because of several pioneering education initiatives. NEP 2020 stands out as a groundbreaking education reform which could revolutionise Indian education with the introduction of new pedagogies that foster critical thinking and creativity among students. But more exciting is the beginning of the deregulation process with the government permitting foreign universities to set up owned campuses in India. I discern a promising future filled with dynamic and diverse education models. Achievements and failures. The initiative to deregulate the entry of foreign universities into India and permit establishment of for-profit medical colleges are landmark reforms. This will inject necessary capital and diversity into our education system. Similarly, the K-12 education sector urgently requires deregulation and funds infusion. The initial steps are promising, yet achieving the grand vision of India as an education superpower requires sustained and comprehensive effort. Top 3 education priorities of the new government. Deregulate and liberalise school education. Invest in digital infrastructure to harness new technologies such as AI in education. Motivate the country’s 29 state governments to implement NEP 2020 on a priority basis. Read the full story here
In this General Election-eve story, we assess the track record of the Modi government — the first non-Congress government to have completed ten years in office in independent India — in early childhood, primary-secondary, skilling and higher education writes Summiya Yasmeen Significant achievements & notable challenges Nooraine Fazal is co-founder and managing trustee of the CISCE (Delhi) and Cambridge International (UK)-affiliated Inventure Academy, Whitefield (estb.2005) and Inventure, Yeshwanthpur (estb.2024) — both in Bangalore. What are the biggest education achievements and failures of the BJP government during the past decade? Achievements Introduction of NEP 2020 is a significant achievement with the potential to transform the education system comprehensively by shifting focus to holistic development, flexible learning, and assessment reforms. The establishment of new universities and colleges, including in the North-east and Ladakh, has expanded access to higher education. There has been a notable increase in female enrolment — 28 percent — in higher education, signifying progress towards gender equality in education. Permission to foreign universities to set up campuses in India has the potential to enhance the quality and diversity of higher education. The establishment of a National Testing Agency (NTA) has streamlined national competitive entrance examinations. Failures Despite ambitious targets set by NEP 2020, budgetary allocation for education has remained stagnant, falling well short of the recommended 6 percent of GDP. Indeed, it has decreased from 3.32 percent of GDP in 2019-2020 to 2.50 percent in 2023-24. Vacancies in faculty and leadership positions in Central government institutions have affected teaching quality. Nearly 50 institutes of national importance don’t have chairpersons, with ten institutions without a permanent chairperson for eight years. Failure to establish key bodies such as the National Research Foundation and the Higher Education Commission of India reflects lack of commitment to systemic reform and innovation. NTA has faced criticism for technical glitches, unfair questions and allegations of mismanagement, raising concerns about the reliability and integrity of centralized examinations. While there have been significant initiatives and achievements in the education sector under the BJP government, there are also notable challenges and areas that require improvement. What should be the Top 3 education priorities of the new post-2024 government? Addressing learning loss due to the pandemic. Learning loss of children during the pandemic has been significant. The new government must prioritise initiatives aimed at remedying learning gaps through targeted interventions. Improving the quality of higher education institutions. Despite expansion of higher education institutions in terms of number, there are concerns regarding the quality and effectiveness of these institutions. The new government should focus on enhancing the quality of higher education by stepping up investment in faculty development, infrastructure upgradation and curriculum modernisation. Ensure equitable access to quality education. The new government must accord priority to initiatives promoting equitable access to education for all segments of society. This requires improving access to schools and colleges in remote areas, providing financial assistance and scholarships to economically disadvantaged students, and removing barriers to education confronting marginalised groups, including girls, children with disability, and…
In this General Election-eve story, we assess the track record of the Modi government — the first non-Congress government to have completed ten years in office in independent India — in early childhood, primary-secondary, skilling and higher education writes Summiya Yasmeen ECCE given high priority Dr. Swati Popat Vats is founder-president of the Early Childhood Association (ECA, estb.2011), president of Podar Jumbo Kids (PJK) chain, and one of India’s most fervent proponents of universal early childhood care and education (ECCE) for India’s 165 million children below age six. Are you satisfied with the education record of the past 10 years of the BJP government? Quite satisfied. As an early childhood advocate and educator, I believe remarkable changes have been introduced in the early childhood care and education (ECCE) sector. NEP 2020 has accorded high priority to ECCE by formally incorporating it into the school system. And for the first time we have a separate curriculum framework for the foundational stage — NCF-FS. However, since education is a concurrent subject, reforms pertaining to regulation of preschools also have to be implemented by state governments. What are the biggest education achievements and failures of the past decade? Among achievements, I would list NEP 2020, NCF for the Foundational Stage 2022 and NCF for School Education 2023; the PARAKH portal which will track the learning of every child from school to college; and reconfiguring of the old 10+2 system to 5+3+3+4 to include five years of foundational stage education — three years of pre-primary and two of primary. Also, the establishment of new IITs, IIMs and AIIMS institutes will augment capacity. Rather than failures, there’s sluggish movement on the following issues: Many states including a few BJP states have still not revised nursery admission age to 3 years in line with NEP 2020. Standardised teaching qualifications for ECCE educators have not been prescribed. Competitive exams are still putting high pressure on children, often leading to suicide. What should be the Top 3 education priorities of the new post-2024 government? Think innovatively to solve the problem of students’ exam stress. It starts from the top and percolates down to the preschool level. It’s time to rehaul assessment systems for all grades. There’s urgent need to set common teacher qualifications for the foundational years across India. There can’t be differing government regulations and requirements for preschools in the states. How can teacher qualifications; teacher-pupil ratio; curriculum; fire and transport safety rules; and per sq. ft area required for every child be different in every state? We need a Uniform Code for the Foundational Stage. Read the full story here
In this General Election-eve story, we assess the track record of the Modi government — the first non-Congress government to have completed ten years in office in independent India — in early childhood, primary-secondary, skilling and higher education writes Summiya Yasmeen Speed & scale reforms Shishir Jaipuria is Chairman of the Seth Anandram Jaipuria Group of Educational Institutions and also Chairman of FICCI-ARISE (Alliance for Reimagining School Education). What is your assessment of the government’s efforts to implement reforms and initiatives in school education during the past ten years? India has been defined by its ambition, aspirations, and eagerness to narrow the gap with developed countries during the past decade. Under the current leadership, the Indian education ecosystem is adapting to evolving trends and seizing opportunities. A major achievement of the government has been reforms at speed and scale. The visionary NEP 2020 has the potential to generate a seismic shift in K-12 education through a switch to experiential learning, critical thinking, problem solving, professional development of teachers and building a culture of research, creativity and innovation. Another laudable thrust area of the government has been promotion of skill development and vocational training through the Skill India Mission and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. In school education, a number of key initiatives have been launched such as PM SHRI Schools, National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat), PM e-VIDYA for digital education, NCF for Foundational Stage, NCF for School Education, and NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement). Achieving the prime minister’s Viksit Bharat vision requires an education infrastructure and academic ecosystem that facilitates provision of quality education to all children and youth. A flexible regulatory framework is crucial, enabling every education institution to excel in its area of expertise while fostering innovation and ensuring transparency. What should be the Top 3 education priorities of the new government? I would rather want to highlight the first 100 days agenda for the new government. My wish list: First, prioritise and invest in early childhood care and education and foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN). A PM-led National level Information, Education, Communication (IEC) campaign should be launched to increase national awareness of FLN. Second, we need to improve digital infrastructure in schools in mission mode. A national level assessment of K-12 infrastructure needs to be done to improve digital connectivity of schools countrywide. We also need to focus on addressing the problem of teacher shortages and learning gaps of students. Third, liberalise private education. There is urgent need for the government to incentivise ‘high-quality’ private education groups to expand capacity. I recommend permitting schools to be set up in the following three structures: government funded/aided; private philanthropy; private for-profit. This is a great way to attract long-term patient capital, generate competition and provide affordable and high-quality education to India’s children. Fourth, we need a National Mission on AI (artificial intelligence) for Teachers with an initial government investment of Rs.2,000 crore for training teachers in AI…
In this General Election-eve story, we assess the track record of the Modi government — the first non-Congress government to have completed ten years in office in independent India — in early childhood, primary-secondary, skilling and higher education writes Summiya Yasmeen Education brought to forefront Dr. Deepak Madhok is Chairman of the Varanasi-based Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions Are you satisfied with the education record of the past 10 years of the BJP government? Yes, very. Education has been brought to the forefront of national deliberations with the NEP 2020 and NCF for the Foundational Stage 2022 and NCF for School Education 2023. These documents are new guiding lights for school education. In years to come they will have far-reaching impact resulting in the design and implementation of innovative teaching-learning processes which will improve learning outcomes and prepare our children for the fast-evolving world. What are the biggest education achievements of the BJP government? NEP 2020; NCF for the Foundational Stage 2022 and School Education 2023; National Credit Framework and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The government has promoted new IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS. Moreover its emphasis on skill development and vocational training is also commendable. What should be the Top 3 education priorities of the new post-2024 government? Better provision for training teachers to attain NEP 2020 goals. Implementation of NEP 2020 and the NCFs in their true spirit across the length and breadth of the country. Align and sync school education with the higher education system. Read the full story here
In this General Election-eve story, we assess the track record of the Modi government — the first non-Congress government to have completed ten years in office in independent India — in early childhood, primary-secondary, skilling and higher education writes Summiya Yasmeen NEP 2020 a pathbreaking landmark … A polymath alumnus of Madras, Delhi, Hong Kong, Oxford and Harvard universities, Dr. C. Raj Kumar is founding vice chancellor of the private top-ranked O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana (JGU, estb.2009). Are you satisfied with the education record of the past 10 years of the BJP government? India faces a historic opportunity with an advantageous demographic dividend — 70 percent of its population is below the age of 35. To empower these 1 billion young Indians, the government has focussed on improving access and quality of education. NEP 2020 is a transformative step in this direction. PM Modi’s call for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’ are direct calls for strengthening India’s higher education landscape and building world-class universities. What are the biggest education achievements and failures of the BJP government? NEP 2020 will go down as a pathbreaking landmark in the annals of Indian higher education. The policy will re-energise the education system by giving impetus to multidisciplinary and liberal education, research, academic freedom, institutional autonomy and regulatory reforms. But time bound implementation of NEP 2020 is critical for attaining its laudable objectives. What should be the Top 3 education priorities of the new post-2024 government? NEP implementation. This powerful policy document has the power to propel the dream of Viksit Bharat@2047. But its implementation requires the highest degree of operational governance. Moreover there’s urgent need to create new institutional mechanisms with active participation of all key stakeholders. Build research-oriented higher education institutions. In the emerging knowledge economy, India needs to build and nourish a research ecosystem to address complex problems of society and embrace technological progress. Confer greater autonomy to higher education institutions (HEIs). A continuing concern to HEIs is over-regulation by overlapping regulatory bodies. It’s important to reimagine and restructure the entire regulatory framework to provide greater autonomy to HEIs. Read the full story here
-Autar Nehru (Delhi) Ashutosh Burnwal is Founder-CEO of Buddy4Study.com, a scholarships aggregator firm promoted by the Noida-based Smiling Star Advisory Pvt. Ltd. Moreover, he is director of Buddy4Study Foundation and Mentor of Change, the Atal Innovation Mission of Niti Aayog since 2020. Established in 2011, Buddy4Study.com is an online platform that aggregates information on higher education scholarships offered to Indian students by government, non-profit organisations, corporates, Indian/foreign trusts, foundations and universities. Moreover, it provides scholarship management services to 150-plus non-profit organisations, trusts, companies and government agencies. Currently, Buddy4Study.com has a live database of over 70,000 scholars. Newspeg. Last October (2023), Buddy4Study.com celebrated its 12th anniversary. History. One of four brothers, Burnwal was born in a low-income household in Dhanbad (Jharkhand). However, through determined study and application, he became an academic topper in school. Subsequently, he performed creditably in the highly competitive IIT-JEE, often described as the world’s most competitive engineering exam, to be admitted into the Marine Engineering & Research Institute, Kolkata. After graduating in 2006, he was campus recruited by British Petroleum where he served for four years. Following the trajectory of qualified engineers, in 2010, Burnwal signed up for the high-ranked Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad (IMT-G) for a two-year fulltime MBA program. While a postgrad student at IMT-G, he chanced upon a notification of the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), offering scholarships for class X students. This prompted him to recall his own childhood when information on student scholarships was scarce, and he set upon a mission to gather scholarships data. Scouring newspapers for scholarship ads in the IMT-G library, he put together a database of 65 scholarships available to the public. Direct talk. “I wanted to share this data with the public, especially students and parents. This led me to conceptualise a specialised website for scholarships. Together with Raj Kishor, a computer programmer and later co-founder of Smiling Star Advisory Pvt. Ltd, we created a website and began conducting seminars in schools to spread awareness about Buddy4Study.com,” recalls Burnwal. Until 2016, Burnwal and Raj Kishor self-funded the venture with an initial capital investment of Rs.60 lakh. In 2015, the company got a big break with the Paris-based L’Oreal Foundation commissioning Buddy4Study.com to manage its entire scholarships programme. Currently, the company manages the scholarship programmes of 150 organisations charging them 5-15 percent of the scholarship amount. Future plans. For fiscal 2024-25, Burnwal has set a target of facilitating scholarships valued at Rs.180 crore for 60,000 school and college students. Simultaneously, he is determined to expand the mission of Buddy4Study.com to enable school-leavers to access education loans. “Buddy4Study has devised the concept of a revolving fund, established by donors including our alumni. This fund will guarantee the loans of students from EWS (economically weaker section) families. Our ultimate objective is to ensure that all students are able to access education of their choice by way of scholarships and affordably priced loans. To reach the goal of a $30 trillion economy by the centenary year of India’s freedom, we…
-Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru) Provost of the reputed Bengaluru-based multidisciplinary CMR University (CMRU), an institution awarded private university status by special legislation of the Karnataka state government in 2013, Dr. Tristha Ramamurthy is also founder-director of the Bengaluru-based Ekya Schools — a chain of five K-12 progressive schools. CMRU with its constituent technology, business management, law and life schools, has an aggregate enrolment of 20,000 students from 40 countries around the world. Newspeg. Last November, Ekya Schools — a division of the CMR Group — launched a new concept school named Ekya Nava (new) which is billed Asia’s first Maker School of Innovation, Creativity & Design. The co-ed Ekya Nava is designed to initiate a novel ‘maker movement’ in India to school a young generation of creators, tinkerers, innovators, product leaders, change agents, and techpreneurs. Ekya Nava will admit its first batch in the academic year 2024-25. History. A highly qualified business management and education postgrad of the Singapore Management and Stanford (USA) universities with a Ph D in education from King’s College, London, Dr. Ramamurthy ventured into school education in 2010 with the promotion of Ekya School in Bengaluru. Since then over the past 14 years, the number of Ekya schools has multiplied to five with an aggregate enrolment of (“confidential”) boys and girls. The ambitious Ekya Nava sited on an 1.5-acre campus in Whitefield, Bengaluru’s IT hub, is the latest addition. Direct talk. “Ekya Nava has been designed to transcend traditional learning by memorisation to stimulate the inherent design thinking, creativity, innovation, and love for learning within children. The distinguishing feature of Ekya Nava is its comprehensive integration of these principles across all levels of K-12 education. We intend to nurture, encourage, and empower young learners through a cross-disciplinary approach. Our curriculum integrates best practices from national and international educational frameworks with the core learning focus on design, making and breaking, entrepreneurship and innovation. The school’s pedagogies and infrastructure have been purposefully designed to support its innovative curriculum,” says Dr. Ramamurthy. Future plans. Over the next five years, Ramamurthy’s plan is to multiply the number of Ekya schools and several other purpose-based schools. “Our focus is on enhancing learning experiences by ensuring every child is supported and valued. Simultaneously, we intend to intensify our teacher development programs to empower educators to experiment with innovative teaching practices, and expand our collaborative networks with industry leaders, career advisors, and higher education experts,” she says. Wind in your sails! Also read: Karnataka: Students to work on bee-hotels, record observations at Ekya School
-Reshma Ravishanker (Bengaluru) Kali Prasad Gadiraju is chairman of the Hyderabad-based EThames College (estb.2009) affiliated with Osmania University which offers three undergrad programmes (BBA, B.Com and BCA) to upskill students to make them industry-ready and secure well-paid employment. Newspeg. To celebrate its 15th anniversary, on February 19, Gadiraju launched the EThames Global School of Design which is set to offer innovative fashion, digital, graphic and interior design study programmes. History. An economics and commerce alum of Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati and Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, equipped with globally recognised certification in Internal Audit, Information Systems Audit and Fraud Examination from the US, Gadiraju began his career in 1985 serving in several accountancy firms before signing up with Ernst & Young, Delhi in 1995. After serving for over two decades and retiring as Managing Partner of EY, Hyderabad in 2019, driven by “a passion to make a lasting impact in Indian higher education,” Gadiraju acquired EThames, an education brand started in London in 2021. Since establishment of the college in Hyderabad in 2009, 3,500 students have signed up (tuition fees range Rs.1.45-2 lakh per year) for EThames College programmes and 1,400 have graduated and have been recruited by MNCs like Deloitte, EY, PwC etc. Direct talk. “During my long career in EY, I discerned a huge and widening gap between Indian industry and academia. The country’s universities are churning out a large number of ill-qualified youth through delivery of outdated syllabuses and curriculums. On the other hand, India Inc needs graduates with well-developed skills in emerging fields like cyber security, data science etc. To address this problem, we have assembled a group of highly qualified mentors and industry professionals from top-ranked firms and companies including Deloitte, EY, PwC, TCS, Infosys, and Accenture to develop industry-aligned study programmes for our students,” says Gadiraju. EThames provides students full access to 5,000 courses on the Coursera platform, and to 42 short duration business management programs by connecting students with the ManageMentor program of Harvard Business Publishing Education. Future plans. Encouraged by public response, EThames has drawn up plans to expand the menu of industry and job-oriented professional courses. “Certified GRC (governance, risk, and compliance), Certified Assurance, Certified IT risk and Certified ESG (environment, social, and governance) professional courses are almost ready. In addition, we plan to offer part-time courses in data science, analytics, and cloud technologies, essential in today’s tech-driven jobs market,” says Gadiraju and adds that Indian industry is not interested in white collar business management and commerce graduates. “They need to be equipped with complementary skills that make them industry-ready,” he says.
The Viceroy’s Artist Anindyo Roy hachette india Rs.599 Pages 284 A 19th century travelogue across India of Edward Lear, a nonsense- verse writer and sketches painter, is pieced together by academic-turned- novelist Anindyo Roy Who is the Viceroy and who is his artist is played out over 284 pages of this historically contextualised tour de force fictionalised debut novel authored by senior academic-turned-novelist, Anindyo Roy. Lord Northbrook (Thomas Baring), Viceroy of India (1872-1876) cocooned in Government House, a building described as an “epitome of opulence,” commissioned Edward Lear, artist and limerick writer, to paint the Himalayas, especially the mesmerising Kanchenjunga range for him. Lear, a nonsense-verse writer travelled across India and Sri Lanka in 1873-75, scribbling in his journal and painting sketches in sepia-tinted water colours. Roy chanced upon Lear’s journal archived in Harvard University and was fascinated by what the artist inscribed and matter he relegated to parentheses, articulations and silences. From the study of Lear’s journal, Roy has deduced the story of Lear — an individual haunted by loneliness, ill-health and deprivation, but blessed with a child-like imagination, an artist’s spatial vision and perspective, and sensibility to objectify the humour of everyday life while depicting the eccentricities of friends and acquaintances. Linearity of Lear’s travels as pieced together by Roy is fragmented in the telling by embedding historical events or experiences in moments of recall, unravelling memories and venturing on journeys in other times and spaces. When Lear with his Italian valet-cum-travel companion, Giorgi, explores Delhi with their native guide Nunkoo Lal, the latter gushes over Delhi describing this Moghul heritage sadly laid waste by arson as a “truly glorious city, rivalling Rome”. This transports the author back to the agonising post-Mutiny debate in Britain 150 years ago, whether the Indian Empire should be retained or abandoned. Roy perceptively identifies the fissures and cracks in the edifice of the British Empire at its height. He fleshes out the personality of the artist, his compassion and uncomfortable sense of guilt disturbed by inevitable colonial stereotyping while recounting Mutiny folklore — the valour of British soldiers and generals, the savagery of natives. Lear’s impatience with trivial details of the memsahib’s (Mrs. Cracroft) everyday life in exile, is countered by his wandering mind and deep concern about “devastation in its rawest — arson, bloodshed and famine” — that was the reality of the British Empire in India. This peek behind Raj glamour and splendour exposes colonial power to postcolonial interpretations that underline the artist’s vision and humour. Based on his India journals, the novelistic resurrection of Edward Lear, the artist/protagonist, takes a serendipitous path, attempting to fill in gaps and silences, unravelling traumas and inadequacies to revive innumerable half-told stories. The storyteller’s imagination is easily ignited by hints and clues while interacting with Brits and natives in far-flung outposts of the Empire, the hill-stations and dak bungalows. Influential characters like Evelyn Baring (the viceroy’s secretary), Franklin Lushington (judge of the Supreme Court of justices in the Ionian islands), Chichester Fortesque (Member…
Smoke and Ashes Amitav Ghosh harper collins Rs.699 Pages 318 The unwritten history of how the British forcibly grew opium over vast swathes of the Gangetic plain and dumped it on a weak imperial China Environment and climate warrior and author of the Ibis trilogy of novels centred around the history of the Indian diaspora in Mauritius, South-east Asia and China, Amitav Ghosh is one of the most celebrated writers in the English language. Although the Ibis trilogy which comprised Sea of Poppies (2008), River of Smoke (2011) and Flood of Fire (2015) were globally acclaimed, this reviewer believes that Ghosh’s deeply researched non-fiction works including Gun Island (2019) and Nutmeg’s Curse (2021) recounting the rise of European and British power in the subcontinent and their discovery and exploitation of herbs and spices — opium, nutmeg and tea — to fund the rise and spread of their empires, make infinitely better reading, more so because they are suppressed, unwritten histories. In Nutmeg’s Curse, Ghosh focused on the ruthless efficiency with which the Dutch upended the lives and livelihoods of innocent islanders to establish a nutmegs monopoly. Native islanders were uprooted and exiled to neighbouring islands of Indonesia, to live lives of poverty and misery as Dutch adventurers established large nutmeg plantations. In Smoke and Ashes, Ghosh describes in gruesome detail, how thousands of acres of fertile multi-crop farmlands of Bihar were forcibly converted into opium poppy fields by the British East India Company (EIC) and opium was exported to China to pay for tea imported into Britain after the silver and bullion demanded by imperial China began to run out. It’s not as though there was pre-existing demand for opium in imperial China. Steadily incremental quantities of this highly addictive drug were exported from Calcutta to Hong Kong for forcible distribution within mainland China. When the Chinese government objected to this deadly, habit-forming and debilitating narcotic being imposed — under the marketing principle that supply often generates demand — upon the Chinese populace, British gunboats sailed up the River Yangtze to bombard the imperial capital Beijing for infringing the rules of “free trade”. The value of this wide-ranging history is that it covers previously untrodden ground. As the author writes in the very first chapter of Smoke and Ashes, although Bengal shares a border with China, information and knowledge about our neighbouring country never featured in his school and college curriculums. Yet the plain truth is that our two countries have had a long and troubled history connected with opium grown in the poppy fields of Bihar and forcibly dumped upon the Chinese people for over a century. As Ghosh recounts, EIC took over the fledgling opium industry of Bihar in 1772 and in 1799, established a dedicated Opium Department to stabilise production and maintain “an output of around 4,800 chests (3.5 million kg) per year, almost all of which was exported to the Dutch East Indies and China”. The ruthless efficiency with which the Department selected farmers over a…
Ahead of the start of the academic year in February, South African higher education is mired in crisis, amid claims of corruption and questions over the ability of the country’s student funding scheme to manage payments. Higher education minister Blade Nzimande has been on the ropes for weeks following publication of allegations that together with NSFAS chair Ernest Khosa he took kickbacks from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), a bursary for students from poor and working-class families. The accusations are levelled by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), a civil society body, which shared as evidence what it says are voice recordings of Khosa and representatives of NSFAS service providers. The alleged payments reportedly include a donation of one million rand (Rs.44 lakh) to the South African Communist Party, which Nzimande chairs, from the husband of a company director. These allegations add to a sense of turmoil at the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), which oversees NSFAS and has lost a string of key senior staff members in recent months. Politicians, students and civil society groups have called for Nzimande to be sacked. As the new academic year looms, meanwhile, NSFAS has missed a deadline that it set itself to pay outstanding allowances from last year to what it said was around 20,000 students. Only about 9,000 have been “successfully resolved” so far, according to the fund. It blames the continuing delays on universities failing to submit registrations on time, but the South African Union of Students (SAUS) laments what it says is NSFAS’ “regrettable and perpetual inability” to deliver on its mandate. SAUS says the 20,000 figure is probably a significant underestimate, because other students have been unable to get on to a new payment platform to receive their allowances. NSFAS had already been rocked last October by allegations of “irregular conduct” by its then chief executive, Andile Nongogo, in relation to the appointment of service providers, which pay around 1.1 million students their 1,650 rand (Rs.7,255) monthly allowance directly, in contrast to previous arrangements when universities made the payments. Nongogo was dismissed and his appeal against his termination was dismissed by a labour court in January. Nico Cloete, former director of the Centre for Higher Education Trust and coordinator of the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa, questions the wisdom of the 1999 decision to take responsibility for making bursary payments away from universities. “The administration of giving the funds to students was taken away from universities because in that system, people at NSFAS and other national agencies could not steal the money. So this is a perfect storm of a lack of capacity combined with corruption,” he says. Referring to the broader challenges facing the sector, Prof. Cloete adds: “This is of course the simple story of the new South Africa; a decrease in efficiency and an increase in corruption — a very sad (outcome) for higher education.” (Excerpted and adapted from Times Higher Education and The Economist)
China’s move to take more direct control of university governance is likely to presage a further crackdown on academic freedom, experts warn. University presidents have long complained of a lack of autonomy stemming from the influence of government-appointed party secretaries on campuses, but these parallel governance structures are now being merged in institutions across the country. Tsinghua University issued a notice in February announcing the merger of its party committee and the office of the president to form a new Party Committee Office that will run the country’s top-ranked institution, Radio Free Asia reported. And a review of campus websites by the US-funded station indicates that similar changes are under way in at least eight other major institutions. This signifies a profound shift in power dynamics, placing greater emphasis on the authority of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in higher education, according to Ye Liu, a reader in international development at King’s College London. “While not entirely unexpected, this development underscores the enduring influence of the CCP administration over academic affairs,” she says. Dr. Liu says that while party committees have long exercised control over university operations by promoting ideological reforms, academics had been able to retain a degree of freedom in their teaching and research provided that they declared their loyalty to the CCP. The merger of the parallel systems could presage a “heightened crackdown on academic freedom,” says Dr. Liu. Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies at King’s, views the mergers as underlining that the CCP regards universities as key areas for indoctrination and for managing potential ideological threats, although, he explains, it had always been known that real power on campuses lay in the hands of party officials. “The changes that have been implemented, therefore, while making this role far clearer, don’t probably mean any radical change from the way things have been before. They just make it more explicit. They underline just how deep the party now reaches into society, and how commanding its role is,” says Brown.
Israel has been accused of deliberately targeting universities and academics in Gaza as part of a strategy branded “educide”. Following the controlled demolition of Al-Israa University, Israeli army footage of which was widely shared on social media, every single higher education institution in Gaza is believed to have either been destroyed or severely damaged since the invasion began. Samia Al-Botmeh, assistant professor of economics at Birzeit University in the West Bank, told Times Higher Education that the elaborate effort required to destroy large public buildings such as Al-Israa meant that it could only be part of an intentional plan to make Gaza “uninhabitable”. “The destruction of the education sector is part of this overarching strategy of the destruction of every aspect of services in Gaza that make life there possible,” she says. Recent figures from Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor indicate that Israeli military action has killed at least 94 university professors in Gaza since the country began its retaliation for Hamas’ October 7 attacks, as well as hundreds of lecturers and thousands of students. The organisation claimed that Israel had “targeted academic, scientific, and intellectual figures in the Strip in deliberate and specific air raids on their homes without prior notice”. Neve Gordon, an Israeli professor of human rights law at Queen Mary University, London, says “academia has been destroyed” in Gaza as part of an “educide”. “The damage of three months will take 10-20 years to recover from,” says Prof. Gordon, vice-president of the British Society for Middle East Studies. Israel has defended the bombing of some universities by claiming that they were being used as training camps for Hamas, but Dr. Al-Botmeh says education is being targeted because it is a “survival mechanism” for Palestinians. “We see it as a mechanism of resistance, and, of course, Israel understands that, so is trying to undermine our capacity to survive, to resist, and our capacity to continue as a people,” she says. Elham Kateeb, dean of scientific research at Al-Quds University, says all Palestinian universities in the West Bank are delivering education through distance learning and have tailored in-person teaching to address safety concerns on the roads and challenges at checkpoints. “Despite the setbacks, universities can play a pivotal role in leading Palestinians towards their goals and state-building. This commitment is embedded in their core missions of education, research and community service,” says Kateeb.
High-profile “exiled” academics have returned to Brazil after a “change in atmosphere” in the year since Jair Bolsonaro lost the presidency. But the polarised country could now face strikes as higher education continues to suffer from years of underfunding. Hampered by a hostile legislature and spending restrictions, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — known as Lula — has struggled to implement many concrete reforms since returning to the presidency in January 2023, but researchers say his pro-education stance and commitment to science has left them feeling more secure than under his predecessor. “For science, technology and education, there is a period of calm that we did not see during the last government,” says Marcelo Knobel, professor of physics and former rector of the University of Campinas (Unicamp). “The people who are in charge of the main agencies, the ministers, they are serious people who believe in science and higher education. At the same time, not many changes can be made. It is very hard to negotiate in the legislative houses, there is a lack of money, and it is very difficult to introduce new discussions and ideas in this climate of constant polarisation,” says Knobel. Many universities were unable to pay for basic necessities due to budget cuts during Bolsonaro’s term and university lecturers and professors have seen their pay frozen since 2016. In his first year, Lula handed academics a 9 percent wage increase and upped the funding for Masters and Ph D scholarships in an attempt to stem the declining number of postgraduate students. Hiring freezes imposed on universities were also lifted and some saw their budgets begin to recover. But Lula’s government has signalled that no further pay rises will come this year, instead proposing a 9 percent increase over the next two years as well as increasing other allowances. Lola Aronovich, a literature professor at the Federal University of Ceara, says that while academics welcome movement after the long freeze, it was “not enough to cover what we lost” and cautions that there could be strikes this year as a result. Jean Wyllys, an academic and former congressman, whose decision to leave Brazil in 2019 was hailed as a “great day” by Bolsonaro himself, has returned to the country, as has Marcia Tiburi, a philosophy professor who fled to Paris after receiving online death threats from right-wing groups. Dawisson Lopes, a professor of international and comparative politics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, who spent part of the Bolsonaro years in the UK, says many academics had felt the need to leave Brazil because of the “critically inhospitable conditions for research” and politicisation of teaching. “I returned because the political atmosphere was changing in the country, so it was safe for me and my family to come back to Brazil. When I say safe, I do mean physical safety,” he says. Bolsonaro has been barred from standing in 2026, but the ideology he inspired will continue to be a force in the country, with some…
Coronavirus has taken the sheen from Australian universities’ golden goose, with discounting, offshoring and other factors slashing the per-student value of international education at many institutions. A Times Higher Education analysis shows that while overseas enrolments took a battering from Covid-19, so did, tuition fees. Compared with 2019, per-student earnings for almost half the sector are down at least 10 percent — and sometimes much more — in 2022, the most recent year for which enrolment and revenue figures are available. Lower-ranked universities with substantial overseas enrolments have fared worst, relinquishing about 15-30 percent of their per-student income. They now face a big task rebuilding per-student returns as well as student numbers. International student fees are vitally important to these often cash-strapped institutions, providing on average 27 percent of their operating revenue in 2019, but that fell to 20 percent in 2022. Another 11 universities saw their per-student income fall by up to 10 percent. International education analyst Keri Ramirez says almost all Australian universities have offered scholarships to new overseas recruits in 2022, typically reducing tuition costs by 15-20 percent. Ramirez says average international fees have risen by just 1.5 percent in 2022, compared with 5 percent before the pandemic. Meanwhile, lockdowns and other “severe challenges” forced some offshore students to drop subjects, “which ultimately also reduced international revenue.” Many universities also charged less to students left stranded in their home countries. The University of Queensland, for example, says it has offered a “rebate” to its offshore students during the pandemic “as they were unable to access the benefits of an on-campus student experience”. Murdoch University has been offering a 20 percent “welcome back” scholarship to many international students, according to vice chancellor Andrew Deeks, who says Murdoch is now reviewing this approach. He says international recruitment had hit record levels in 2023 “and that trend is continuing this year.” Also read: Australia: China syndrome
A year ago, New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, proposed to adjust a state cap on charter schools, publicly funded but privately run schools that have become a locus of innovation and controversy in American education. Ms Hochul’s plan was not ambitious, but it would have allowed dozens of new charter schools to open in New York City, where they already attract about 15 percent of public school students and even as thousands of families languish on waiting lists. But the governor’s plan drew fervent protests from fellow Democrats, including state legislators aligned with teachers’ unions. After a bruising fight, the governor had to settle last autumn for a small increase. The relative neglect of charters comes just as fresh evidence has arisen that they are successful. Last June, a comprehensive new study emerged from Stanford University. It is the latest of three national studies carried out over two decades by the Centre for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO). The centre’s June’s study, which used data from 2014-2019 show a positive trajectory over time. In all, 31 geographic locations studied (29 states, New York City and the District of Columbia), pupils in charters outperformed their traditional public school peers. Pupils gained the equivalent of six days of learning in maths and 16 days in reading each year. “We don’t see a revolution,” says Macke Raymond, the lead researcher of the Stanford studies. “We are seeing thousands of (charter) schools getting a little bit better every year.” Other recent studies such as research by Douglas Harris at Tulane University and investigators at the University of Arkansas also report positive results. The latest CREDO report provides clear evidence of success and also describes which types of charter schools seem to be working best. Larger charter management organisations which run multiple schools at a time, have better results than stand-alone charters. There were also hundreds of successful charters where disadvantaged pupils (black, Hispanic, poor pupils or English-learners) performed similarly to or better than their more advantaged peers. Charter enrolment is growing and the schools’ impact on American children is substantial. In 2021, about 4 million public school pupils studied in charters, more than double the number enrolled back in 2010. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia allow them. In Chicago, where 15 percent of public school students enroll, black and Hispanic families are disproportionately represented, as is typical in cities that offer them. In poverty-stricken Philadelphia, a third of public school children are educated in charters. Vouchers offer political benefits because they are attractive to religious, home-schooling and suburban voters. Amid great fanfare, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida and other Republican-led states have passed laws allowing parents to use vouchers to direct public dollars to private schools they choose, including religious ones. “Republicans have long been supportive of charter schools even though most of their constituents do not attend,” says Michael Petrilli of the Fordham Institute, a think-tank. However, school-choice plans “can result in money actually in the pockets of Republican constituents… and…
Dr Larry Arnn, President, Hillsdale College, USA Hillsdale College, where I am employed, sponsors over 100 schools across the United States. These are ‘classical’ schools — they look back to a ‘classic’ age for direction and inspiration. One feature of classical schools is they aim to build ‘character’. It is a big word. It emanates from an ancient Greek word that means “to etch or engrave”. Developing character therefore requires repeated action. Aristotle wrote one of the first books to address the subject of ‘ethics’, another big word. In some ways, it is a synonym of character. Ethics are an attribute of human beings committed to good action and good thinking in their ‘character’. One develops character through the process of etching or engraving. She must work on it, especially when young. There are pitfalls on every side. A child may become lazy, unable to work intentionally, or hyperactive, unable to stop and think. A student may become a bully, dominating others, or reticent, unwilling to stand up for himself or contribute to discussion. Aristotle teaches us that against these vices, the place to be is in the middle. One should be active to the right degree, ambitious to the right degree, and ready to help others to the right degree. The process of growing up to build character is learning to navigate between extremes. Choice is the process of deliberation we undertake to choose between options. It is at the moment of choosing that one makes a little etch or engraving on the soul. Hard choices are those in which good must be given up for the sake of better, or some difficulty or pain suffered to avoid worse. One may want to run away when confronted with danger. Sometimes flight is right. People with good character have courage, and they run away only when it is right. The voice that advises courage is innate in human beings. We are made to listen to this voice. Our choices are our own, made internally in an interplay between our desires and thinking. We teachers help students best by the combination of what is famously called “precept and example”. Precept requires explaining concepts like the ones cited to a young person. Only human beings can understand these things, and all of them can. When a young person hears them, he understands goal-setting. Once he understands, he becomes an active agent in pursuit of the goal. Examples include a teacher behaving well, providing model good behaviour. It also includes correction of a student when he errs and praise when he does well. More powerfully, examples include the study of people in history and in literature who exhibit good character. Good schools help students to build good character through precept and example. Both are vital. This requires schools to be stable in direction, truthful in instruction, and inspirational in message. Students of good schools respond naturally and with enthusiasm. Also read: Lifetime Achievement in Education Leadership Award 2023-24: Dr. Larry Arnn
-Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata) Co-founder of the Kolkata-based PS Group of Companies with interests in real estate, Pradip Chopra is also chairman of the Institute of Leadership Entrepreneurship & Development (iLEAD, estb.2010) — a CSR initiative of the PS Group — established with a capital outlay of Rs.50 crore and built over a 175,000 sq ft campus. iLEAD has an aggregate enrolment of 2,029 students and 64 faculty, and offers 23 affordable new age undergrad and three postgrad study programmes in business management, science and humanities (annual tuition fee: Rs.100,000). Newspeg. With the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 strongly advocating experiential learning, Chopra was inspired to build futuristic youth hostels to enable students to learn through affordable domestic tourism. “Youth hostels built by the Central and state governments are neither well-designed nor well-maintained. Looking at this demand-supply gap, we have decided to invest Rs.12 crore to construct youth hostels of high quality. Two such hostels, one at Murshidabad, once the capital of Bengal during Mughal rule, and the second one in the Sundarbans — the world’s largest mangrove forest — are under construction and will be completed in 2025,” says Chopra. History. A chemistry graduate of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, Chopra began his career assembling television sets and manufacturing plastic goods. In the millennium year, he was awarded the prestigious Plasticon 2000 award of Plast Indian Foundation for developing Eco-wud, an eco-friendly wood substitute manufactured from solid waste. Moreover, iLEAD was recognised as the second most eco-friendly building in the country by the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO). In 2010, the PS Group promoted iLEAD to provide world-class business management and science education at affordable cost. “Our objective was to build an affordable B-school in Kolkata as a model education institution,” says Chopra. Direct talk. “The job market is improving in West Bengal, especially in advanced industries. But there is a dearth of professionals in these sectors of the economy. Our students have an edge in these sectors because of their robust and holistic training provided by iLEAD,” says Chopra. This assertion is supported by the institute’s placements record. Every year 75 percent of graduates are successfully recruited by blue-chip corporations such as PwC, TCS, Airtel, Eskay Movies, Adani, Reliance, Stanford Seed, ITC, Zolo Stays, British Telecom and Everest Industries. Future plans. In January, iLEAD introduced The Stanford Seed Transformation Program (SSTP) to strengthen its business model, and has set its sights on transforming into a fully-fledged university with an aggregate enrolment of 5,000 students by 2026. “Under SSTP, we will introduce business transformation workshops and modules for top management to mid-level executives working in HR, accounts and other departments of iLEAD to prepare them for the transformation. This state has hitherto been a laggard in industry development. We intend to play a major role in Bengal’s restoration to its former glory of the 18th and 19th centuries,” says Chopra. God speed!
Rural India has been shortchanged from reaping the gains of freedom and national development by way of continuously adverse terms of trade between town and country. A visitor from another planet is likely to identify rural Bharat as a totally different country from urban India with its swish motorcars, glitzy shopping malls and big weddings – writes Dilip Thakore The latest stand-off between rural and urban India on the Punjab-Haryana border is yet another confrontation between Bharat’s impoverished rural majority and relatively wealthy urban India. Currently, thousands of farmers mainly from rural Punjab grouped under the banners of the SKM (non-political), BKU (Dallewal), Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and 17 other farmers’ organisations are on the march to New Delhi to press for legally guaranteed minimum support prices (MSP) 50 percent above the weighted average cost of production for wheat, rice and 21 other crops. Other demands include better sugarcane prices, pension of Rs.10,000 per month for every farmer and farm labour above 60 years of age, and India’s withdrawal from the WTO (World Trade Organisation). To prevent the entry of droves of farm protestors with tractors into the national capital disrupting administration and business, the Central and (BJP) government of Haryana have strongly barricaded the border with Punjab and large contingents of the police, RAF (Rapid Action Force) and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) to halt the farmers’ march to Delhi. Four rounds of talks between representatives of the BJP government at the Centre and farmer leaders to negotiate a compromise have proved unsuccessful at the time of writing. It’s pertinent to note that this movement follows massive protests of farmers three years ago in 2020, when grouped under the banner of the Punjab-based Samyukta Kisan Morcha, All India Kisan Sangharsh Committee and over a dozen other unions and associations, farmers congregated on the borders of the national capital to protest three Bills passed by Parliament. These Bills permitted the purchase and sale of agriculture produce beyond officially designated Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee premises (aka mandis); electronic trading of farm produce to create a national market; contract farming and empowered the Central government to regulate farm produce prices only in the event of extraordinary emergencies such as war and famine. Essentially these Bills were enacted to apply the logic of the highly successful deregulation and liberalisation of Indian industry in 1991, to the farming sector. However, they were fiercely opposed by the farmers’ unions who continued their protest on the Delhi border for over a year — during the height of the Covid pandemic crisis. This protest was supplemented with protests in Punjab, Haryana as also pro-farmer protests in Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Kerala. Railway services remained suspended in Punjab for over two months. The adamant refusal of the farmers unions to budge from their demand and continuous camping on highways encircling Delhi forced the Union government to repeal the three Bills in November 2021. Predominantly an agriculture economy which was by-passed by the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th…
In this General Election-eve story, we assess the track record of the Modi government — the first non-Congress government to have completed ten years in office in independent India — in early childhood, primary-secondary, skilling and higher education writes Summiya Yasmeen There’s no shortage of report cards being produced by think tanks, media publications, opposition parties and government agencies on the occasion of the BJP government at the Centre having completed ten years in office (2014-2024). Undoubtedly, this is a landmark milestone as the government led by popular prime minister Narendra Modi becomes independent India’s first non-Congress government to complete two consecutive five-year terms in New Delhi. As the nation readies for the 18th General Election scheduled to be held in April-May, in his round of election speeches the prime minister has awarded his government full marks for ending the “demon of corruption” and “unblemished governance”, economic progress, maintenance of law and order and “Modi ki Guarantee” welfare schemes. Likewise, other top BJP leaders have acclaimed the past decade as “transformational” for the country. On February 9, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented a White Paper on the economy contrasting ten years of “misgovernance” by the Congress-led UPA government (2004-2014) with a decade of BJP rule during which the Indian economy has been “put back on the rails”. Unsurprisingly, report cards from opposition parties contradict these assertions. The opposition Congress has presented a detailed ‘Black Paper’ on failures of the BJP government highlighting growing unemployment, inflation, “danger to democracy” and “authoritarian rule”. Yet, this flurry of report cards evaluating the Modi government’s ten-year term are focused on the economy, national security, foreign policy and unemployment. A subject unmarked and conspicuous by its absence is education, aka human resource development — the foundation of a prosperous economy and nation. In this special election-eve cover story, EducationWorld (estb.1999) sets this glaring omission right with a comprehensive Education Report Card of the Narendra Modi government. Incontrovertibly the past decade has been eventful for Indian education. While the BJP government’s first term (2014-2019) was marked by several controversies such as assault on the autonomy of India’s showpiece IIMs by then Union education minister Smriti Irani and rejection of the T.S.R. Subramanian Committee’s National Education Policy Report 2016, in the second term (2019-24), the pace of reform gathered momentum. In its 2014 election manifesto, the BJP’s big promise was that it would frame a new National Education Policy to usher in sweeping reforms from early childhood to higher education. After it won General Election 2014 with a huge margin, the BJP government immediately set to work to deliver this promise and constituted a National Education Policy (NEP) drafting committee under the chairmanship of former Union cabinet secretary T.S.R. Subramanian. However the Subramaniam Committee report, submitted in 2016, was rejected for mysterious reasons. Another NEP Draft Committee was constituted under the leadership of space scientist Dr. K. Kasturirangan (KR) which submitted a detailed 484-page report on May 31, 2019 to the BJP government, after it began…
Green shoots indicate that Indians, who had to endure the rule of pale-skinned foreigners for 500 years, are recovering their self-confidence and ethnic pride. According to a Nielsen IQ 2023 market research study, volume sales of ‘fairness’ creams have declined for the first year ever. Brainwashed for centuries by light-complexioned invaders including unprepossessing Brits that their skin tones were ideals of pulchritude, most Indians ignored the reality that in the harsh sunlight of the subcontinent, Brits resembled scary ‘Red Devils’. Most susceptible to this historical brainwash are north Indians who dominate the films and cinema industry. Punjabi badshahs of Bollywood decreed that pale imitations of Hollywood movie stars were a precondition of beautiful actresses. Ethnic beauties seldom made it to the top. Unquestioningly ready to cash in on colour prejudice, cosmetics and beauty care product manufacturers flooded the Indian market with skin-tone lightening products, many of which are dangerous to health and in most cases, didn’t deliver their promise. In the vanguard of these companies was Hindustan Lever (since christened Hindustan Unilever) which widely promoted its skin-lightening brand Fair & Lovely. For over half a century, Unilever UK/Holland hyper-marketed this slyly christened cosmetic cream which not only inflicted dermatological damage on millions of women nationwide, but also damaged their self-esteem and ethnic pride. When EducationWorld protested this cynical exploitation of the insecurities of Indian women (and men) and criticised market leader Fair & Lovely, HLL’s reaction was to cut off all advertising. But later when it became politically incorrect to promote colour prejudice, in 2020 HLL rebranded F&L as Glow & Lovely. This product which has penetrated hinterland India — and millions of minds — is too profitable to discontinue. Also read: Tragic history: The Arabs: A History
The Congress government of Karnataka which was unexpectedly elected to power in the state legislative assembly election of 2023, is destroying the future of this high-potential state (pop. 67 million) by populist pandering. As soon as it was sworn into power last summer, it set about fulfilling five promises it had somewhat recklessly announced in its election manifesto, viz, Rs.2,000 monthly assistance to women heads of all families, 200 units of free electricity to all households, Rs.3,000 every month for unemployed graduates and Rs.1,500 for diploma holders, 10 kg rice per person per month and free travel for women in state public transport buses. The total outlay for these freebies is likely to exceed Rs.50,000 crore per year, a substantial sum for the government whose annual budget expenditure in 2023-24 aggregated Rs.3 lakh crore. This explains reduced capital expenditure in the state’s Budget presented to the legislative assembly and the public on February 16. The state government’s latest manifestation of runaway populism was its indulgent tolerance of several mobs that rampaged through Bangalore on December 27, breaking doors, windows, and damaging shops, pubs and restaurants. Business establishments were targeted for failure to inscribe their institutional names in Kannada — the dominant language of the state — on their display signboards. Instead of prosecuting the vandals for damaging private property, the state government has caved in to the demand of the state’s language chauvinists. On February 20, a Bill to this effect was passed in the legislative assembly. Evidently, populist chief minister Siddaramaiah is unaware that such vandalism and interference with private property is likely to scare away domestic and foreign investors in a state which is the most favoured destination for foreign investment. The hapless people of Karnataka have voted in a populist government expert at harakiri. Also read: Former Karnataka CM urges Siddaramaiah to reconsider decision to scrap NEP
The passing of senior Supreme Court lawyer Fali Nariman on February 21 provoked fulsome tributes paid to him by the Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several eminent commentators in the media and society. This also brings to mind another extraordinary now forgotten counsel of the Bombay Bar — Nani Palkhivala — who left perhaps a greater stamp and impress upon Indian polity and society. Prior to the mid-1960s, it was received wisdom that under Article 368, Parliament with a two-thirds majority could enact legislation to alter or amend any provision of the Constitution. Accordingly in the 1950s, the Congress party enacted several laws, especially legislation imposing land-holding ceilings and transference of ownership rights to tenants. However in Golak Nath’s Case (1967), Palkhivala persuaded the Supreme Court to rule that it was beyond the power of ephemeral Parliaments to alter or abridge fundamental rights — the ‘seven freedoms’ — conferred upon citizens by Part III of the Constitution. Moreover in the landmark Keshavnanda’s Case (1973) he persuaded the Supreme Court to rule that Parliament — no matter how great the majority of the ruling party — cannot alter the basic structure of the Constitution. Palkhivala was born into modest circumstances and worked his way up in the legal profession and industry the hard way. He also served as a director of the Tata Group for several decades. This perhaps proved his Achilles heel. In 1977 when the post-Emergency Janata Party government was formed in Delhi, the party’s nomination as MP from the prestigious Bombay South constituency — and post of Union finance minister — was his for taking. But perhaps because he had too much to risk — he declined. Ditto in 1981. Had he entered politics, the economy liberalisation and deregulation reforms of 1991 would have been enacted a decade earlier. After a prolonged illness, Nani Palkhivala passed away in 2002. Nariman’s demise is a good occasion to remember Palkhivala whose brilliant advocacy secured the fundamental rights and basic structure of the Constitution for the citizenry in perpetuity. Also read: India’s top government law & humanities universities 2023-24
Education is not merely about knowledge delivery… Conscious learning is a new-age pedagogy that prompts students to develop deep awareness of their thoughts, emotions and action In the fast-evolving education landscape, there is a notable shift towards a holistic approach to nurturing young minds. Education is not merely about knowledge delivery but also about shaping students into well-balanced, resilient individuals attuned with their inner selves. Conscious learning is a new age pedagogy that prompts students to develop deep awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and action. Good education requires more than reading textbooks and taking tests. It should include cultivating children’s emotional intelligence and developing their self-awareness and cognitive skills. In response to ever-increasing pressures of contemporary life, there’s rising interest in conscious learning that incorporates yoga, mindfulness and spirituality. Currently, a large and growing number of parents and educators are expressing preference for conscious learning pedagogy for their children. Mindfulness has been introduced into education to enhance children’s well-being, mental health, social and emotional skills, resilience, pro-social behaviour — all of which enhances academic performance. By teaching mindfulness techniques, educators can empower students to manage stress, improve concentration, and cultivate their emotional intelligence. These skills are becoming increasingly valuable in academic settings to prepare students for the complex challenges they are certain to experience in higher education and adult life. Let’s examine why schools, educators and parents are choosing conscious learning education pathways for their children. Emotional intelligence — the heart of conscious learning. In addition to enhancing academic performance, conscious learning develops the emotional intelligence of children. Through yoga and mindfulness, children develop self-awareness, compassion and communication skills. These are the prerequisites of nurturing emotional intelligence and social skills. Stress reduction and mental well-being. With the explosion of social media, 21st century children are experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety in today’s fast-paced world. Conscious learning practices, comprising mindfulness and yoga, equip children with the skills to navigate life’s challenges. Conscious learning promotes stress reduction, emotional resilience, and overall mental well-being, inducing positive, balanced mindsets. Mind-body connection. Mind-body connection is crucial for children’s holistic development. From time immemorial educators have connected mental and physical health (mens sana in corpore sano). To establish the mind-body connection some schools subscribe to online physical education programs, yoga and mindfulness sessions, which are incorporated into the curriculum. Not only do these programmes encourage physical fitness, they also teach students how to manage stress, focus better and improve self-management. Self-awareness. Self-awareness is the foundation of all holistic development. Capability to recognise one’s strengths, weaknesses, and values, enables students to make better decisions to tackle life’s formidable challenges. Intelligent educators develop their students’ self-awareness by encouraging them to introspect to discover their interests and passions and follow them. Cultivating focus and concentration. In an era when children are bombarded with digital distractions, discerning parents worry about their children’s ability to focus and remain focused for adequate time periods. By incorporating meditation into children’s learning, teachers and parents help them develop concentration capabilities and skill-sets.…
Somasekhar Mulugu (Hyderabad) Paderborn (Germany)-based equestrian Anush Agarwalla (24) was among 26 sportspersons conferred the prestigious Arjuna Award, 2023 for outstanding performance in sports by President Murmu on January 9. Anush won a gold medal in the team event and a historic bronze — India’s first — in the individual equine dressage event at the Asian Games staged in Hangzhou last September. With his businessman father Gautam Agarwalla and uncle having learnt to ride in their youth, Anush, who was raised in Kolkata and schooled in the top-ranked La Martiniere for Boys, was introduced to horses at age three by his parents at the city’s Tollygunge Club riding facility. Love of the sound of hoofbeats and equines gradually developed into a passion for horse riding. “I used to ride ponies until I turned nine after which I became eligible for formal horse-riding lessons. But professional horse-riding training in India is still in its infancy. For six years (2011-2017), I attended weekend riding classes at a well-known riding school in Delhi, while a student at La Martiniere, Kolkata. I won two medals at the 2014 Delhi Horse Show. But my real training began in 2017 under Olympic champion Hubertus Schmidt in his Paderborn academy,” recalls Anush. Professional horse riding requires extreme fitness, discipline and perseverance, asserts Anush. His typical day begins at the crack of dawn followed by an eight hours riding regimen on six different horses. At the end of each day, he spends time with the horses and takes them for a walk to strike up a friendship with them. “In between, I invest some time to study for my business management degree programme at the University of Paderborn,” says this determined young achiever. Currently, his training regimen is intensifying as Anush has set his sights on becoming the first Indian to qualify for equestrian dressage at the Paris Olympics in August. “The Olympics are a much tougher test than the Asian Games. I will have to raise my game several notches higher. Nothing is impossible,” says Anush. Pegasus wings!
Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata) For building the world’s tallest (11ft 4 inches) freestanding structure showcasing four iconic buildings of Kolkata — St. Paul’s Cathedral, Writers’ Building, Shaheed Minar, and Salt Lake Stadium — in 41 days using 143,000 playing cards without tape or adhesive, city-based Arnav Daga (16) merited an entry into Guinness World Records last December (2023). Arnav broke the record set 11 years ago by US national and architect Bryan Berg, who showcased a freestanding playing cards structure measuring 9ft 5 inches of three hotels in Macau (China). This is only the latest achievement of this extraordinary ‘architect’. In 2020 at age 13, Arnav won an entry into the Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records for balancing a 10.7 ft tall replica (using 6,832 playing cards) of the Empire State Building (USA). And the following year, he smashed his own record by building the tallest (15ft 10 inches) replica of Delhi’s Qutub Minar, using 21,000 playing cards. Arnav’s floor-to-ceiling masterpieces can be viewed on his YouTube channel christened Arnavinnovates. The only child of business couple Neraj and Payel Daga and a class X student of the Sri Sri Academy, Kolkata, Arnav took to balancing playing cards at age eight. Fascinated by this arcane craft and encouraged by his parents, he started exploring YouTube videos of master craftsman Bryan Berg. “The moment I saw Berg’s videos, I knew I wanted to make stacking my passion. For my entry into the Asia and India Book of Records, I owe a debt of gratitude to my principal Gargi Banerjee for allowing me to keep my 16 ft Qutub Minar masterpiece in a corner of the school auditorium,” says Arnav. What began as an extra-curricular is currently a daily three-hour compulsion. Most weekends, Arnav goes on a city tour to shortlist heritage buildings for his future projects. “Stacking requires considerable investment of time, energy and patience in a range of activities from studying the architecture of buildings to finding a suitable warehouse,” says this never-say-die teen. Currently writing his class X board exam, Arnav is looking to taking on new challenges. “After my Plus Two, I intend to enroll in a B.Arch degree programme and qualify as an architect. After that I hope to build a life-size House of Cards which people can physically enter and explore,” says Arnav.
BITS-Pilani design school Mumbai, february 15. Certified as an Institution of Eminence by the Government of India, the multi-campus Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani, launched its BITS Design School (BITSDES), Mumbai. BITSDES combines technology, business, and entrepreneurship with the creative arts to nurture a new generation of future-ready design professionals. “Design is shaping the future of how businesses approach problem-solving and innovation. BITSDES will reimagine design education with a bold, trans-disciplinary, competency-based approach. BITS-Pilani, with its rich legacy of academic excellence and trans-disciplinary thinking, is uniquely positioned to do this. In the process, we will nurture a new generation of leaders who will use design to create value and solve problems for the world,” said Kumar Mangalam Birla, chancellor of BITS-Pilani, addressing media. BITSDES will introduce a four-year residential Bachelor of Design (Honours) programme in the academic year 2024-25, followed by a Masters degree programme and a faculty development programme for design educators over the next two years. Admissions commence on February 26. JK Tyre girls scholarships New delhi, february 9. JK Tyre & Industries Ltd has joined hands with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and Protean Vidyasaarathi to launch the JK Tyre Shiksha Sarthi Scholarship Scheme for daughters of heavy motor vehicle drivers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The newly launched scholarship program provides financial assistance ranging from Rs.15,000-25,000 per annum for girl children of families associated with the road transportation sector. “At JK Tyre, we recognise the invaluable contribution of commercial vehicle drivers to the transportation industry. Our commitment to them and their families’ well-being extends beyond our business interests. We believe in the transformative power of education and this scholarship scheme is about empowering the next generation,” said Dr. Raghupati Singhania, chairman & managing director, JK Tyre, speaking on the occasion. The flagship company of the JK Group, JK Tyre is among the world’s Top 25 manufacturers of radial technology tyres for trucks, cars and automotive two-wheelers. MAHE-LabourNet agreement Bengaluru, february 7. To redefine the traditional boundaries of humanities education, the Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (DLHS) of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Bengaluru, announced implementation of the Centre for LabourNet’s Academic Research Endeavour (CLARE) programme of LabourNet Services India Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru. LabourNet’s capstone project is to “build lasting relationships between academia and industry in real time and enable students to gain valuable insights from the world of work and apply their learning to solving current business challenges”. UoB-Symbiosis partnership Pune, february 15. University of Birmingham (UoB) and Symbiosis International University (SIU) signed a memorandum of understanding to build an education and research partnership. In addition to creating a pathway for SIU students to secure postgrad law degrees, the two universities will explore research collaborations, academic exchanges and student mobility opportunities. Students from Symbiosis Law School (SLS) who meet required standards in their Indian degree programmes, will qualify to apply for admission into postgraduate programmes at the Birmingham University Law School. Meritorious students will also be…
Tamil Nadu IIT-M sports quota New delhi, february 2. From the new academic year beginning July 2024, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras will introduce two supernumerary sports quota seats in every undergrad program, announced director V. Kamakoti. The idea was mooted by IIT-Madras before the IIT Council in 2023. Addressing a press conference, the director said: “IIT-Madras is set to offer Indian nationals two supernumerary seats per undergraduate programme under the Sports Excellence Admission (SEA) programme. We are the first IIT to introduce sports quota and the idea is to reward and encourage students who have achieved a certain level of sports excellence.” Candidates will also be required to have obtained the minimum class XII marks to fulfill the eligibility criteria for IIT admissions. Gujarat Careless teachers fined Gandhinagar, february 6. Over a period of two years, an aggregate fine of Rs.1.54 crore was imposed on 9,000 government school teachers statewide for committing totaling errors while marking classes X and XII board exam answer sheets. Responding to a query during Question Hour, Gujarat’s education minister Kuber Dindor admitted that 9,218 teachers — 3,350 class X and 5,868 class XII — had committed totaling errors during assessment of board exam answer papers in the academic years 2022 and 2023. A fine of Rs.1,600 has been imposed on all these teachers. Uttar Pradesh Budget largesse Lucknow, february 5. In the Uttar Pradesh budget 2024-25 presented in the state assembly, a sum of Rs.1,000 crore had been budgeted for provision of free sweaters, shoes, socks and bags to over 20 million class I-VIII government school children. Also Rs.1,000 crore for Operation Kayakalp (makeover) for government primary schools. Addressing a press conference, finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said: “The procurement process for providing uniforms, sweaters, school bags, shoes, and stationery for students has been discontinued. Instead, a sum of Rs 1,200 per student is being directly transferred to the bank accounts of parents through DBT (direct bank transfers).” Delhi New safety rules New felhi, february 19. All government and private schools in the national capital have been directed to constitute committees for ‘surprise bag checking’ to ensure no student brings any object that may cause harm to other children, says a Directorate of Education (DoE) circular. “It is imperative for all schools to implement a streamlined framework for ensuring good safety practices for students, parents and staff. Heads of schools should also ensure that CCTVs are installed in schools and functional all the time. Visitors should not be allowed to enter classrooms and staff rooms,” says the circular. Himachal Pradesh Teachers study tour Shimla, february 22. Under the state government’s International Tour for Teachers program, 102 school teachers will depart for a five-day tour of Singapore to familiarise themselves with “new technologies and teaching methods in education”, said chief minister Sukhvinder Sukhu. “The first batch of 102 teachers selected from across the state are scheduled for departure on February 24 and a second batch of 98 teachers on March 15,” said Sukhu. Added education…
“It’s a democratic right of the farmers to protest and come and be heard in the national capital. I don’t think the border with China is fortified the way this city is fortified. The government should have learnt a lesson from the previous farmers’ agitation — consult the stakeholders. Last time it took a year-long agitation before the government surrendered and withdrew.” Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP, on protesting farmers being stopped from enetring the national capital (Mint, February 14) “In the next 25 years, India will be unstoppable. From education to economy, all the positivity will emerge from India…while creating wealth, we should focus on responsible business and public welfare as well.” Dharmendra Pradhan, education minister, speaking at the 68th Foundation Day of the All India Management Association (Deccan Herald, February 21) “For decades Indian politics has unravelled the country’s moral fabric. Politicians and officials, advancing their own interests rather than the public good, have become the antithesis of les grands commis de l’État — dedicated public servants esteemed in French civic culture. An alarming number of Indian legislators have criminal links. The embedding of Hindutva—the century-old ideology of Hindu-centric Indian nationalism—in political life under Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has promoted intolerance and violence.” Ashoka Mody, visiting professor, public and international affairs, Princeton University, in an essay ‘Why India is stunted by a lack of moral leadership’ (The Economist, February 28) “In the Ambani case, there is the spectacle of the world showing up: From the Emir of Qatar to Rihanna. This is, in a vicarious way, the world paying obeisance to India. So what if India is not rich. At least it has the world’s richest.” Pratap Bhanu Mehta, public intellectual, on the grand pre-wedding festivities staged by the Ambani family for their son in Jamnagar (Indian Express, March 5)
Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata) Ahead of the forthcoming lok Sabha polls scheduled for April-May, Chandrima Bhattacharya, minister of state (independent charge) for finance, tabled a Rs.3.66 lakh crore budget on February 8, announcing a slew of social welfare policies including sops for women and children. While continuing with existing welfare schemes such as the Kanya Shree and Sabuj Sathi schemes for girl children, the Trinamool Congress government — now in its third consecutive term in office — introduced a gender and child focused budget to uplift women and promote holistic development of children with a sizeable allocation of Rs.96,271 crore. The budget also allocates Rs.900 crore to class XI students to purchase tablets or smartphones under the Taruner Swapno (youth’s dream) scheme introduced in 2022. Since 2013 — two years after the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) routed the Left Front government in the assembly elections of 2011 — the chief minister has been making commendable efforts to improve girl-child education in West Bengal’s 92,000 government schools. She has announced an array of schemes including the popular Kanya Shree and Sabuj Sathi programmes. Launched in 2013, Kanya Shree offers an annual Rs.500 scholarship for girls to continue education; one-time grant of Rs.25,000 for girl children from BPL (below poverty line) homes who clear the class X board exam; Rs.30,000 after clearing the class XII board exam, and scholarships for girls pursuing post-graduate studies in science and non-science streams. Under the Sabuj Sathi scheme, launched in 2015, 2.5 million bicycles have been distributed to girl students in classes IX-XII. However despite these incentives, the literacy rate of women in the state is 59.73 percent cf. 79.89 percent for men. In this context, it is also pertinent to note the one-time Rs.30,000 grant awarded to girls clearing the class XII board exam is largely used to pay for marriage expenses. According to the Sample Registration System (SRS)-Statistical Report 2020, Bengal’s percentage of women marrying below 18 years is 4.7 percent and between 18-20 years of age 50.2 percent, against the national average of 1.9 percent and 26.7 percent respectively. Moreover, according to the latest available Periodic Labour Force Survey (2018-19), women’s unemployment in Bengal has risen from 2.5 percent in 2011 to 4.4 percent in 2019. Yet despite incentives for girl children, against 61 percent of males, only 15 percent of females are in the labour force. Moreover against the national trend of a larger proportion of women employed in education, in West Bengal, women constitute only 14 percent of teachers. All this has raised questions about the efficacy of girls education incentives doled out by the TMC government. Critics of West Bengal’s feisty woman chief minister highlight that with Banerjee paying excessive attention to the advancement and emancipation of girl children, a large number of boys are dropping out of the school system. A survey released in July 2021 by the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) has highlighted that while the dropout rate of girls is 13.6 percent, for…
Aditi Maheshwari (Bhopal) The annual status of education Report (ASER) 2023, published by the independent not-for-profit Pratham Education Foundation (estb.1995), assessed the learning outcomes of 1,514 teenage children aged 14-18 years from 1,193 households in Bhopal and 60 villages in Bhopal district. ASER 2023 reports 62 percent of teens struggle with basic arithmetic tasks, such as division problems involving 3-digit numbers and 1-digit divisors, 48.85 percent struggle to read simple English sentences and 42 percent have difficulty following written instructions in Hindi. Perhaps even more alarming is that 66.55 percent find it difficult to calculate discounts and 93 percent are unable to calculate repayment instalments. And only 2 percent of teens in this age group are enrolled in vocational training programs. The outcomes are stark and grim for the employability of the state’s youth, most of whom are condemned at best to live lives as quasi-literate unskilled migrant workers who drift to southern Indian states to work in low-end jobs in the construction and informal industries. Some monitors of Madhya Pradesh’s depressing education scene attribute these dismal stats to the shortage of well-trained teachers. A report of the PRS India and Accountability Initiative (2023) estimates 80,000 teacher vacancies statewide, resulting in multi-grade classrooms and inadequate student mentorship. In-school teachers complain of low salaries, heavy workloads, and limited training and development opportunities, affecting their morale and effectiveness. Access to quality higher education institutions remains uneven, particularly in rural areas, exacerbating regional disparities. “The dismal state of education in MP is rooted in inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortages, low enrolment, socio-economic challenges, and limited access to education,” says Dr. Shobha Shrivastav, ombudsman of MP Bhoj Open University. According to Shrivastav, teacher training, curriculum updates, and robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for reforms mandated by NEP 2020 are necessary. “Government can increase the education budget by reallocating funds from other sectors, seeking external funding, promoting public-private partnerships, and implementing tax reforms to generate additional revenue. But it accords very low priority to education and human resource development.” However, some educationists in the state believe that public education — especially primary-secondary education — is likely to receive greater attention under the new BJP government which was re-elected to office for a third consecutive term. The 2023-24 budget of the state has allocated Rs.35,230 crore — a 12 percent increase over 2022-23 — to education. “Government initiatives such as Ladli Laxmi Yojna and Sambal Yojana for educating girl children and infrastructure development have great potential. Quite clearly, the state’s budget for educating 20 million children and youth needs to be increased. The community/stakeholders’ involvement is crucial for effective strategic implementation through policy advocacy, public awareness, and establishing private-sector partnerships,” says Dr. Shubhangi Mhaske, professor of microbiology at the People’s College of Dental Sciences & Research, Bhopal. The prime cause of the educational backwardness of Madhya Pradesh (pop.87 million) — India’s largest state (308,000 sq. km) — is the poor condition of public education. In the state’s fast-growth cities particularly Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur, high-quality, globally benchmarked…
Poor human capital development record
– R.N. Bhaskar, senior journalist, educationist, and researcher For chest-thumping hyper-nationalist government and ruling BJP spokespersons claiming that India is the world’s fastest growing economy, the third largest global economy and set to become a viswaguru (world teacher), UNDP’s latest Human Development Report 2022-23 is a rude awakening. India’s ranking has slipped from #130 in 2020 to #132 in 2021. Many of our neighbouring nations — including Bangladesh — are ranked higher. Surprisingly, there is inadequate awareness within policy formulators and society that India’s greatest resource is its people. There are too many establishment figures who say that a large population is a developmental disadvantage. But China was the world’s most populous country until last year. After Secretary Deng Xiaoping liberated the Chinese economy from the yoke of socialism in 1978, China averaged 10 percent per year GDP growth rate for 30 years (1978-2008) and showed the world that when human resources are nurtured and rational policies implemented, a heavily populated country can become a global powerhouse. The real test of a nation’s strength depends on how it has nurtured its human resources. But this is precisely where India’s record is pathetic. In terms of life expectancy, India has the worst record, except for Pakistan. In terms of number of years of school education, India once again scrapes the bottom, except for Pakistan. In terms of mean years of schooling, India is better than only Pakistan and Nepal. The sole consolation is that India’s data are better than Pakistan. But that can’t obfuscate the reality that India is a pathetic also-ran in global rankings, and that its ranking slipped in 2021. India’s primary-secondary education data is depressing. As many as 117,000 schools have just one teacher, teaching all classes and all subjects. Moreover, 775,000 out of 1,022,000 government schools are without internet connectivity and smart classrooms. More than half of government secondary and higher secondary schools don’t have a science laboratory. With this degree of deprivation, how can our children compete with their peers in developed OECD countries in the new globalised world? The reality is that most of these children will become unemployable. They have wasted ten of their most creative years in schools that actually destroy talent rather than nurture it. Further investigation of data will unearth the reality that the majority of such schools and students are sited in the Hindi speaking states of north India whose MPs dominate Parliament. That is why the proposed delimitation of parliamentary constituencies under which the BJP government at the Centre wants to increase the representation of Hindi states in Parliament, is causing much heartburn in the southern states which have a much better HDI record. The situation isn’t better in higher education. A study of the Central government’s own data indicates that India’s GER (gross enrolment ratio) in higher education is a modest 27.3 percent of youth of college-going age (18-24). This is way below the 70 percent score of developed OECD countries. The plain truth is that India needs…