Context:
- In 2011, a three-judge Bench led by Justice J.M. Panchal, in an appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government, had held that a common syllabus, especially for children aged between six and 14, would achieve the “code of common culture”.
- The judgment had even viewed the idea of a common syllabus as a precursor to the Uniform Civil Code and an antidote to fanaticism and divisiveness.
- On December 8, 2017, a three-judge Bench led by the Chief Justice dismissed a petition filed by primary school teacher Neeta Upadhyay for ‘one nation, one education board’ to end disparity in knowledge dissemination during the formative years of a child.
Present Status
- At present there are more than 50 recognised educational boards in India of various types- all India boards like CBSE and ICSE, state level boards, international boards like IB and IGCSE and open schooling boards like NIOS. Each has its own schedules, pedagogy and curriculum.
Issue area
- CBSE itself does not come out in flying colours. There are more than 15,000 CBSE schools in all over India. Why is it then that in international tests like PISA and TIMSS, which benchmark school students in various countries, India languishes at the very bottom? Why does the corporate world constantly bemoans India’s unemployable youth?
We should have Single board
- Firstly, since educational boards have different schedules (For e.g.: The academic year in schools of the Maharashtra state boards begins in June while that of CBSE does in April), students migrating from one part of the country to another often face problems.
- Secondly, policies followed with regards to the number of languages taught and the way they are taught differ drastically. For instance, CBSE follows the 3 language norm upto VIIIth standard and then on its 2 languages, while state boards usually follow the three language formula throughout, the 3 languages usually being English, Hindi and the state language.
- Moreover while boards like ICSE provide exposure to classics like the works of William Shakespeare, boards like the CBSE focus more on the communicative aspects of the language.
- Thirdly, marking schemes of boards vary considerably- while some are lenient with many students scoring in the higher 90s, in some it is an achievement to cross the 90 figure itself. This creates a playing field which is not at all levelled when it comes to seeking admissions into colleges for courses which are not based on entrance exams.
- When it comes to entrance exams like NEET, students of state boards are placed at a disadvantage vis a vis the CBSE students as such entrance exams are more or less based on the NCERT syllabus.
- Separate education facilities are inherently unequal and violate the doctrine of equality
- The judgment for the Court, had referred to the iconic S. case of Brown versus Board of Education, which held that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional.
We should not have Single boards
- State Boards are cheaper when compared to CBSE & ICSE and it help’s poor students.
- When there are multiple boards, its sparks competition amongst these boards. Every board’s incentive is to be able to capture and get numerous schools affiliated under it.
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