For years there’s been a debate about the state of India’s education system…Now…
On National Education Day let’s throw light onto India’s best education reforms implemented by AAP that can potentially change the education syatem of India forever.
Pic courtesy: bolbihar.in
With nearly a quarter of India’s population being in the age of attending school and college, measures to improve quality education in schools is the need of the hour and AAP’s education reform is just that.
India needs to develop school ecosystems with urgent transformations in the education system to meet the aspirational needs of the new generation.
TAKING CUES FROM AAP GOVERNMENT’S EDUCATION REFORMS
The Aam Aadmi Party has set an outstanding example when talked about reforms in the public education system. The AAP govt has improved the infrastructure in government schools in many ways best imagined and made them on par with private schools. The Delhi education model is a testament to the fact that with extreme diligence and political will, government schools can be made like private schools.
The backbone for bringing out AAP’s education reform in Delhi’s moribund education system is much owed to Kejriwal’s education minister and Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Manish Sisodia has changed the fate and rejuvenated a lull education system in Delhi.
1. 25% of the budget allocated for education reforms
Kejriwal’s party’s focus on education was right from the time he took over the reins of the capital city. Delhi government so far has set aside the highest funds for education. He allocated nearly twenty-five per cent of the budget to the arena because the government wished to “enable and empower students”.
In 2019-20, the most recent budget presented by Sisodia, 26 per cent (13,997 crores) of the total Rs 60,000 crore was allocated to education.
Therefore, other state governments should pick cues from the Delhi government’s educational reform and expand on it. Furthermore, this will ensure education is a mandate in each government’s reform policy ensuring steady growth in the educational structures.
2. Happiness curriculum
Last year in July, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government introduced a ‘Happiness Curriculum’ in Delhi’s government schools. The ‘Happiness Curriculum’ focuses on holistic education by together with meditation, worth education, and mental exercises within the standard education syllabus. Hence, it has been introduced for the students of nursery to class 8 in government schools.
3. Cleanliness curriculum
The AAP government has also planned a ‘Cleanliness Curriculum’ for government school students. The cleanliness curriculum will be activity-based. Since it is practically based, there will no book for it nor will a separate period be allocated for the same purpose.
4. Entrepreneurship curriculum
The Education Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, has announced that the government schools would also have an ‘Entrepreneurship Curriculum’ for students. Entrepreneurship essentially need not mean business but a plan devised to focus and develop life skills, behavioural skills and also to impart proper etiquettes into the minds of children in order to decondition them and make them future-ready.
5. Swimming pools in govt schools
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also opened swimming pools for government school kids with trainers to impart free coaching. The pools are made functional in summers from April to November 15 each year. The swimmers will also get to participate in inter-school and school national championships. The pools have been fitted with standard equipment such as starting blocks, lane ropes, filtration plants, and safety equipment. Arvind Kejriwal said that no one ever thought that government schools could have swimming pools but AAP’s education reform has proved that wrong.
6. Chunauti 2018: education reform to help curb the dropout rate of students
The Chunauti campaign is based on improving the foundation of students who are into groups on the basis of who can read and write Hindi and English, and solve maths problems. However, many students even find it difficult to clear the 9th and 10th grades as they find it in great difficulty to read or write. Hence, AAP launched Chunauti in June 2016. The scheme aimed to bring closer the learning disparities from grades 6th to 8th, thereby also ensuring zero dropouts in Grade 9.
7. No re-admission for those who fail class 10 twice
Picture Courtesy: Outlookinda.com
In a circular issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) a student who has failed more than two times in Class X will not be re-admitted to government schools. Out of 1,36,663 government schools, students took the class 10 exams this year and 42,503 failed. Moreover, the students also failed the compartmental examination.
8. Reading Campaign & Pragati: Enabling All Children To Read
This initiative focuses on children from grades 6th to 8th. So, NGO Pratham developed a basic learning material/reading assessment tool. It consists of short stories, paragraphs, and word cards, and administered on one on one basis by the teachers.
Furthermore, in an assessment, only 25% of students could read in Class 6. After the program, it was found that 46% could also read advance stories.
9. Kala Utsav
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar.
Kala Utsav is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) under RMSA. So, this scheme is to promote arts in education by nurturing and showcasing the artistic talent of school students. So, it helps the students in identifying and understanding the diverse tangible and intangible cultural expressions. The art-focused educational program “Kala Utsav” also has goals beyond the mere promotion of arts in education by nurturing artistically-inclined students.
10. Gymnasiums, lifts and AC labs — Delhi government schools outperform private schools in academics
PICTURE COURTESY: SURESH K. PANDEY/Outlookindia.com
So, education in schools run by the AAP government have had a makeover which only a handful thought was possible. Some schools have lifts and swimming pools — a luxury which is still lacking in many private schools. Their focus is also on extra-curricular activities along with the academic curriculum. Consequently, the 2018 CBSE Class XII results of the government schools were a feather in the Delhi government’s cap. With a 90.68 pass percentage, the government schools outperformed the private schools (pass percentage of 88.35 per cent) and also the overall pass percentage of 83.01 per cent.
