Education

The pandemic has had a crushing impact on the educational framework of the country in various ways. One of the fall-outs has been the cancellation of Class XII (and Class X) final examinations by all the major boards of education in the country, in view of the aggressive second wave of COVID-19. However, under the said circumstances, each has come out with a different model of evaluation for Class XII students. The results of Tamil Nadu State Board Class XII were declared on June 19, 2021. For the first time ever, students got their results on their registered mobile number,…

Academic years 2019-20 and 2020-21 were indeed tough on children, parents and for over 50 school boards, for whom COVID posed a serious dilemma — to hold or not to hold exams. Finally, the Prime Minister had to chair a meeting to arrive at a consensus saying ‘No’ to holding class 12 examinations under the CBSE. Then a new search began: how to declare Class 12 CBSE results in that case? The only way was to depend on Class 10 board exam results, performance through Class 11 and internal assessments conducted by the schools, including the pre-board exams. But this…

‘Stay safe’ is now a stock phrase. Everyone uses it when signing off an email, chat or conversation. Yet another term that has gained currency is ‘bubble’. A bubble is a safe environment where social networks follow a shared set of norms to keep everyone there safe. The pandemic has led to heightened safety concerns, and in turn created awareness around behaviours that can likely protect us from COVID. It is time we did the same with fire safety! A culture of safety is one that is cultivated daily, and only strengthened during an emergency. At a recent webinar conducted…

Children are our present citizens and our future leaders. They have a right to their basic needs being met, to enjoy a safe, nurturing and healthy childhood. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is an important agreement, of which India is also a signatory. However, in practice, children’s rights are far from being met. I bring you experiences of three young adults, from different areas of Mumbai, which highlight the layered challenges of online education faced by young girls since the onset of the pandemic. Their personal development has been threatened due to several adverse factors.…

If you are a parent hunting for ideas to keep your child engaged during the lockdown, consider introducing them to the city’s local histories through children's books.  Several authors and illustrators have dipped into Mumbai’s past to weave delightful tales that take children into various nooks and neighbourhoods.  Be Careful Bappa (2019), written by Vinitha and Kripa, is a book set in Lower Parel’s Peru Chawl. Through a day in the life of a boy named Raju, readers get to know about the history of the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav festival that occupies a significant place in the city’s social calendar thanks…

It would be impossible to recount any occasion in human history when tens of millions of children were forced to stay indoors for over a year, deprived of meeting friends, playing outdoor games, attending classrooms, talking to teachers, and enjoying the fun that makes childhood so special! Human curiosity and creativity just cannot come to a sudden halt. Alternatives to confront the situation were explored. Teachers and students swiftly acquired the skills necessary to substitute — to the extent possible — the face-to-face teaching by online learning. As off-line was ruled out, online really reduced the tension and stress among…

Several parents in Mumbai are upset with the decision by the government to set up a review committee to suggest amendments to the Fee Regulation Act, 2011. They say while the a 3-month review committee may restructure school fees, the school administration has already started restricting students from attending e-learning classes, if fees are not paid. "In 2019 a committee was set up to recommend amendments therefore this new committee formation wasn't needed at all," says Anubha Sahai, President India Wide Parents Association. "The government has always supported schools' decisions on fee hike, both in private and aided schools. Parents…

“I hire people in spite of an MBA, not because of one”. That is Elon Musk participating in an online conference organized by Wall Street Journal. Adding insult to injury, Musk blamed the present condition of American corporates on “too many MBAs running companies”. Musk’s comments have stirred the MBA pot all over again. The debate around the relevance of today’s MBA education has been growing ever since the Lehman Brothers collapse and the collateral damage to the financial services industry globally. The MBAs were blamed for a lot of the dodgy products the hedge fund industry had been feasting on…

Managements and teachers of private unaided schools across the state are protesting the state government's decision to cut school fee by 30%. Parents of children studying in these schools wouldn't, however, agree to any change in the government's decision. While this deadlock continues, Citizen Matters held a online panel discussion with different stakeholders on March 5, to look at possible solutions. The panel comprised Chaitra Rudresh who represented the parents' group VOP (Voice of Parents), Sanjeev Narrain of RBANM's Educational Charities, retired Additional Chief Secretary M Madan Gopal, and Kiran Prasad, core committee member of KAMS (Associated Managements of Primary…

Aman moved to Mumbai the same year that I did. He had turned 9 that year, I was 22. I’d moved because I’d just got my first job- a fellowship at an NGO, where I was expected to teach less privileged kids. Aman had moved because his dad used to drive a rickshaw here and had saved up enough to bring his family to the city from a small village, somewhere in Uttar Pradesh. They lived in a chawl in Goregaon- a tiny room, shared by the family of four, and he’d often be late to school because there was…