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Subject: Indian Society

  • Highlights of India Discrimination Report, 2022

    Oxfam India’s latest ‘India Discrimination Report 2022’ finds women in India despite their same educational qualifications and work experience as men will be discriminated in the labour market due to societal and employers’ prejudices.

    About the report

    • The Oxfam India report refers to unit-level data from:
    1. 61st round National Sample Survey (NSS) data on employment-unemployment (2004-05)
    2. Periodic Labour Force Survey in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and
    3. All India Debt and Investment Survey by the government

    Key highlights

    (1) Decline of women in workforce

    • As per the Union Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), LFPR for women in India was only 25.1 percent in 2020-21 for urban and rural women.
    • This is considerably lower than Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa as per the latest World Bank estimates.
    • The LFPR for women in India has rapidly declined from 42.7 percent in 2004-05 to mere 25.1 percent in 2021 showing the withdrawal of women from the workforce.

    (2) Earning Gap

    • There is also a significant gap in the earnings between men and women in the case of regular and self-employment in urban areas.
    • The average earning is INR 15,996 for men and merely INR 6,626 for women in urban areas in self-employment.
    • The men’s average earning is nearly 2.5 times that of the earnings of women

    (3) Communal aspects of discrimination

    • Oppressed communities such as Dalits and Adivasis along with religious minorities such as Muslims also continue to face discrimination in accessing jobs, livelihoods, and agricultural credit.
    • The mean income for SCs or STs persons in urban areas who are regular employed is INR 15,312 as against INR 20,346 for persons belonging to the General Category.
    • The rural SC and ST communities are facing increase in discrimination in casual employment, the report shows.
    • The data shows that the unequal income among urban SC and ST casual wage work is because of 79 percent discrimination in 2019-20.

    (4) Muslims and economic backwardness

    • Muslims continue to face multidimensional challenges in accessing salaried jobs and income through self-employment as compared to non-Muslims.
    • In rural areas, the sharpest increase of 17 percent in unemployment was for Muslims as compared to non-Muslims during the first quarter of the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • 6 percent of the urban Muslims population aged 15 and above were engaged in regular salaried jobs whereas 23.3 percent of non-Muslims are in regular salaried jobs in 2019-20.
    • The lower employment for urban Muslims attributes 68.3 percent to discrimination in 2019-20.
    • The report shows that the discrimination faced by Muslims in 2004-05 was 59.3 percent, indicating an increase in discrimination by 09 percent over the last 16 years.

    Recommendations from the report

    • Actively enforce effective measures for the implementation of the right to equal wages and work for all women.
    • Work to actively incentivise the participation of women in workforce including enhancements in pay, upskilling, job reservations and easy return-to-work options after maternity.
    • Work to actively challenge and change societal and caste/religion-based norms, around women’s’ participation in labour markets.
    • Strengthen civil society’s engagement in ensuring a more equitable distribution of household work and childcare duties between women and men and facilitating higher participation of women in labour market
    • Implement “living wages” as opposed to minimum wages, particularly for all informal workers and formalise contractual, temporary and casual labour as much as possible.
    • Extend priority lending and credit access to all farmers, regardless of social groups and penalize biased lending.

    Back2Basics: Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)

    • It is the percentage of the population which is either working (employed) or seeking for work (unemployed).
    • According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the LFPR is a ‘measure of the proportion of a country’s working-age population that engages actively in the labour market, either by working or looking for work’.
    • The breakdown of the labour force (formerly known as economically active population) by sex and age group gives a profile of the distribution of the labour force within a country.
    • As per the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, LFPR for women in India was only 25.1% in 2020-21.

     

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  • Centre cites law to deny medical seats to Ukraine-returnees

    medical

    The Centre has told the Supreme Court that the law does not allow undergraduate medical students, who fled the “war-like situation” in Ukraine, to be accommodated in Indian medical colleges.

    Which laws is the govt talking about?

    • There are no provisions either under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, or the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 to accommodate or transfer medical students.
    • Till now, no permission has been given by the National Medical Commission to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students in any Indian medical institute/university.

    Why foreign undergraduates are not permitted?

    • Absence of law: The extant regulations in India do not permit migration of students from foreign universities to India.
    • No backdoor entry: The public notice cannot be used as a back door entry into Indian colleges offering undergraduate courses.
    • Merit issue: The students had left for foreign universities for two reasons, poor marks in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and affordability of medical education in foreign countries.
    • High cost: Besides, these students, if admitted in Indian colleges, would again face the problem of affordability.

    Why do Indians go abroad for medical studies?

    • According to estimates from Ukraine, reported in the media, around 18,000 Indian students are in Ukraine (before Operation Ganga).
    • Most of them are pursuing medicine.
    • This war has turned the spotlight on something that has been the trend for about three decades now.

    Preferred countries for a medical degree

    • For about three decades now, Indian students have been heading out to Russia, China, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Philippines to pursue a medical degree.

    Hype of becoming a Doctor

    • Prestige: The desire to study medicine still holds a lot of value in the Indian community (the other is becoming an IAS officer).
    • Shortages of Doctor: In many rural areas, people still look at doctors as god’s incarnate.
    • Rarity of opportunity: The lack of equal opportunities exacerbated by the caste factor in the Indian context, has a great deal of impact on the prestige still associated with being a doctor.
    • Social upliftment ladder: For years, certain communities were denied the opportunities, and finally they do have a chance at achieving significant educational status.

    Why do Indians prefer going abroad?

    • No language barrier: The medium of education for these students is English, a language they are comfortable with.
    • Affordability: The amount spent on living and the medical degree are far more affordable than paying for an MBBS seat in private medical colleges in India.
    • Aesthetics and foreign culture: People are willing to leave their home to study far away in much colder places and with completely alien cultures and food habits.
    • Practice and OPD exposure: It broadens students’ mind and thinking, expose them to a whole range of experiences, and their approach to issues and crises is likely to be far better.

    Doesn’t India have enough colleges?

    (a) More aspirants than seats

    • There are certainly far more MBBS aspirants than there are MBBS seats in India.
    • In NEET 2021, as per a National Testing Agency press release, 16.1 lakh students registered for the exam, 15.4 lakh students appeared for the test, and 8.7 lakh students qualified.
    • As per data from the National Medical Commission (NMC), in 2021-22, there were 596 medical colleges in the country with a total of 88,120 MBBS seats.
    • While the skew is in favour of Government colleges, it is not greatly so, with the number of private medical institutions nearly neck-to-neck with the state-run ones.

    (b) Fees structure

    • That means over 50% of the total seats are available at affordable fees in Government colleges.
    • Add the 50% seats in the private sector that the NMC has mandated must charge only the government college fees.
    • In fully private colleges, the full course fees range from several lakhs to crores.

    (c) Uneven distribution of colleges

    • These colleges are also not distributed evenly across the country, with States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala having many more colleges.

    What about costs?

    • The cost factor on both sides of an MBBS degree is significant.
    • The costs of an MBBS degree in a Government college tot up to a few lakhs of rupees for the full course, but in a private medical college, it can go up to â‚č1 crore for the five-year course.
    • In case it is a management seat, capitation fees can inflate the cost by several lakhs again.
    • Whereas, an MBBS course at any foreign medical university in the east and Eastern Europe costs far less (upto â‚č30lakh-â‚č40 lakh).

    Way forward

    • While PM Modi emphasised that more private medical colleges must be set up in the country to aid more people to take up MBBS, medical education experts have called for pause on the aspect.
    • If the aim is to make medicine more accessible to students of the country, the path ahead is not in the private sector, but in the public sector, with the Central and State governments’ involvement.
    • Starting private medical colleges by reducing the strict standards set for establishing institutes may not actually be the solution to this problem, if we think this is a concern.

    Conclusion

    • Creating more medical colleges will be beneficial for the country, if access and availability can be ensured.
    • This will not be possible by resorting to private enterprise only.
    • The State and Central governments can start more medical colleges, as recommended by NITI Aayog, by utilising district headquarters hospitals, and expanding the infrastructure.
    • This way, students from the lower and middle socio-economic rung, who are otherwise not able to access medical seats, will also benefit.

     

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  • Tamil Nadu’s new Breakfast Scheme in Schools

    breakfast

    Tamil Nadu CM has launched the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme for students of Class I to V in government schools.

    CM’s Breakfast Scheme

    • The scheme covers around 1.14 lakh students in 1,545 schools which include 417 municipal corporation schools, 163 municipality schools and 728 taluk and village panchayat-level schools.
    • The inauguration of the scheme marks an important milestone in the State’s history of providing free meals to school students.

    How has the idea evolved?

    (a) Pre-independence

    • In November 1920, the Madras Corporation Council approved a proposal for providing tiffin to the students of a Corporation School at Thousand Lights at a cost not exceeding one anna per student per day.
    • Theagaraya Chetty, the then President of the Corporation and one of the stalwarts of the Justice Party, said the boys studying at the school were poor, which affected the strength of the institution ‘greatly’.
    • The scheme, which was extended to four more schools and facilitated higher enrollment of students.

    (b) Post-independence

    • The concept saw a Statewide application in 1956 when the then CM K. Kamaraj decided to provide free noon meal to poor children in all primary schools across the State.
    • The Budget for 1956-57 contained a provision for supplying mid-day meals to schoolchildren for 200 days a year, initially covering 65,000 students in 1,300 feeding centres.
    • In July 1982, it was left to the then CM MG Ramachandran to extend the programme to children in the 2-5 age group in Anganwadis and those in 5-9 age group in primary schools in rural areas.
    • Subsequently, the scheme now called Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Nutritious Meal Programme — was extended to urban areas as well.
    • Since September 1984, students of standards VI to X have been covered under the scheme.

    Beneficiaries of the programme

    • As of now, there are nearly 7 lakh beneficiaries spread over 43,190 nutritious meal centres.
    • This includes around 3,500 students of National Child Labour Project (NCLP) special schools.
    • Besides, as a consequence of the collaborative implementation of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and the nutritious meal programme, around 15.8 lakh children in the age group of 2+ to 5+ years receive nutritious meals.

    Impact on school education

    • Rise in enrolment: After the improved version of the mid-day meal scheme in 1982, the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) at primary level (standards I to V) went up by 10% during July-September, 1982 as compared to the corresponding period in 1981.
    • Girls’ enrolment: The rise in boys’ enrollment was 12% and in the case of girls, 7%, according to a publication brought out by the Tamil Nadu government on the occasion of the launch of the Scheme.
    • Increase in attendance: Likewise, attendance during July-September 1982 rose by 33% over the previous year’s figure.

    Focus areas programme

    • Anaemia is a major health problem in Tamil Nadu, especially among women and children, says the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5’s report.
    • From 50% during the period of the 2015-16 NFHS-4, the prevalence of anaemia in children now went up to 57%.
    • This and many other health issues can be addressed through the combined efforts of the departments of School Education, Public Health and Social Welfare and Women Empowerment.
    • Besides, a continuous and rigorous review of the progress of the scheme and nutritious meal programme should be carried out in a sustained manner.

     

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  • old age problems that we should address now

    old ageContext            

    India will be facing the immediate challenge –The ageing of the population. Challenge to ensure a decent quality of life for the old age people in the near future, planning and providing for it must begin today.

    Background

    • Life expectancy in India has more than doubled since Independence from around 32 years in the late 1940s to 70 years or so today, a historical achievement.
    • Over the same period, the fertility rate has crashed from about six children per woman to just two, which liberated women from the cycle of continuous child bearing and child care.

    What is ageing of the population?

    • Meaning: Population ageing is a shift in the distribution of a country’s population towards older ages.
    • Reason behind it: Decline in the fertility rate and Rise In the life expectancy. An increase in longevity increases the average age of the population by increasing the numbers of surviving older people.
    • Impact of the ageing population:, labor supply shortage, change in patterns of saving and investment, deteriorate fiscal balance, lack of adequate welfare system etc.
    • Challenges they impose: Social security, elderly Healthcare, Dependence on the family etc.

    What is the status in India?

    • According to the National Commission on Population, The share of the elderly (persons aged 60 years and above) close to 9% in 2011.
    • It is growing fast and may reach 18% by 2036.

    old ageProblems faced by elderly

    • Depression: According to survey by Abdul Latif Jameel foundation in Tamilnadu, 30-50% of people above age of 60 has a symptoms of depression.The proportion with depression symptoms is much higher for women than men, and rises sharply with age. In most cases, depression remains undiagnosed and untreated.
    • Loneliness: Loneliness one the major factor leading to depression. A large majority of elderly persons living alone are women, mainly widows.
    • Hardship of age: Monetary assistance can certainly help to cope with many health issues.
    • Poverty and poor health: Old age pensions are vital. Cash helps to lead a dignified life.

    old ageCurrent government schemes for elderly

    Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Scheme – This is one of the most popular senior citizen pension schemes in India.

    • Designed for senior citizens above 60 years of age, the policy term of this Prime Minister Senior Citizen Scheme extends to ten years.
    • The pensioner can choose the frequency of the payment – monthly/quarterly/half- yearly/annually.
    • You can earn interest of 8% per annum over this scheme.
    • The minimum and maximum capping of pension are Rs. 3,000 per month and 10,000 per month, respectively

    National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE)–

    • Introduced in 2010, this scheme concentrates on preventive as well as promotive, care for the maintenance of overall health.
    • This program was launched to address the health issues faced by seniors.
    • The district-level objectives include providing dedicated health facilities in district hospitals, community health centres (CHC), primary health centres (PHC), and sub-centres (SC) levels through State Health Society.
    • These facilities maybe free or highly subsidized.

    Varishta Mediclaim Policy –

    • This policy aids seniors by covering the cost of medicines, blood, ambulance charges, and other diagnosis related charges.
    • Designed for senior citizens between the age of 60 and 80 years, this helps meet the health-related expenses of senior citizens.
    • Income tax benefits are allowed for payment of premium.
    • Although the policy period is for one year, you can extend the renewal up to the age of 90 years.

    Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana –

    • This scheme provides physical aids and assisted-living devices to the elderly above 60 years of age that belong to the BPL (below the poverty line) category.
    • If senior citizens wish to avail this, then they must have a BPL card.
    • This is a Central Sector Scheme and is entirely funded by the Central Government.

    Varishta Pension Bima Yojana –

    • This pension scheme, launched by the Ministry of Finance, is for senior citizens above 60 years.
    • The LIC of India has the authority to operate this scheme.
    • Any Medical check-ups is not necessary to avail this policy.
    • It offers assured pension with a guaranteed interest rate of 8% per annum for up to 10 years –
    • You can opt for monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and yearly pension – depends on how you’d like to receive it.

    Vayoshreshtha Samman –

    This scheme focuses on those seniors who have made significant contributions in their disciplines and recognized their efforts.

    It was upgraded to the National Award in 2013, and since then, awards have been granted below thirteen categories.

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/old-age-poverty/Conclusion

    • Social security pensions, of course, are just the first step towards a dignified life for the elderly. They also need other support and facilities such as health care, disability aids and assistance with daily tasks, recreation opportunities and a good social life. They can be the active contributor to the economy having the years of experience and mentorship to the demographic dividend.

    Mains Question Q.

    Discuss the challenges before our elderly today? What steps have been taken by government to address these challenges?

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  • Gyanvapi -Kashi Vishwanath Temple Complex Dispute

    gyanvapi

    The Varanasi District and Sessions Court has rejected the plea of the organization which manages the Gyanvapi mosque complex, challenging the maintainability of the civil suits filed by some women seeking the right to worship Goddesses on the outer wall of the complex.

    About Gyanvapi Mosque

    • The Gyanvapi Mosque was built in 1669 during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who ordered the demolition of the existing Vishweshwar temple at the site, and its replacement by a mosque.
    • The plinth of the temple was left untouched, and served as the courtyard of the mosque.
    • One of the walls too was spared, and it became the qibla wall, the most important wall in a mosque that faces Mecca.
    • Material from the destroyed temple was used to build the mosque, evidence of which can be seen today.
    • The name of the mosque is said to have derived from an adjoining well, the Gyanvapi, or Well of Knowledge.
    • An old sculpture of the Nandi bull inside the compound of the present Kashi Vishwanath Temple faces the wall of the mosque instead of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
    • It is believed that Nandi is in fact, facing the sanctum sanctorum of the original Vishweshwar temple.

    The temple to Lord Shiva

    • For more than 100 years after the mosque was built, there was no temple at the site.
    • The present Kashi Vishwanath Temple was built in the 18th century by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, immediately to the south of the mosque.
    • Over the decades it emerged as one of the most prominent and revered centres of the Hindu religion.
    • Many Hindus have long believed that the original deity of the erstwhile Vishweshwar temple was hidden by the priests inside the Gyanvapi well during Aurangzeb’s raid.
    • This has fired the desire to conduct puja and rituals at the sacred place where the mosque now stands.

    Longstanding claims

    • From time to time, petitioners have laid claim to the mosque, saying it remains the original sacred place of Hindu worship.
    • The Ayodhya movement also aimed to “liberate” the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi mosque site and the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura as well.

    What laws restrict such acts?

    • The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 — which mandates that the nature of all places of worship, except the one in Ayodhya that was then under litigation, shall be maintained as it was on August 15, 1947.
    • It maintains that no encroachment of any such place prior to the date can be challenged in courts — applies to the disputed complex in Varanasi.

    What was the case before the Court?

    • The temple worshipers side had argued that the mosque was built on the site of an older temple, while the another side pleaded that the mosque was built on Wakf premises.
    • The plea also said that The Places of Worship Act of 1991 barred the changing of the character of the mosque.
    • The case was initially heard by the Civil Judge (Senior Division), Varanasi, but it was transferred by the Supreme Court to the District Judge on grounds of the “complexity of the issues involved in the civil suit”.
    • The Supreme Court said it would wait for the district court’s decision on the mosque committee’s application before intervening in the matter.

    Issue in Limelight

    • In April 2021, Fast Track Court Civil Judge ordered the Archaeological Survey of India to get a comprehensive archaeological physical survey” done of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex.
    • It was tasked to find out as to whether the religious structure standing at present at the disputed site is a superimposition, alteration or addition or there is a structural overlapping of any kind, with or over, any religious structure.
    • The mosque is not an ASI-protected site, and the ASI has no role in its maintenance or upkeep.

    What are the people seeking now?

    • Worshippers find the cut-off date of August 15, 1947, is “arbitrary, irrational and retrospective” and prohibits Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs from approaching courts to “reclaim” their places of worship.
    • Such places, they argue, were “invaded” and “encroached” upon by “fundamentalist barbaric invaders”.
    • Certain groups have opposed the law even when it was introduced, arguing that the Centre has no power to legislate on “pilgrimages” or “burial grounds” which are under the state list.

     

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  • Kashmiri pandits

    Kashmiri panditsContext

    • Recent events of targeted killings of Kashmiri pandits and other Hindus by the militants in the valley lead to the protests which once again brought forward the question of their right to return and the safety of minorities living in the valley

    Who are the Kashmiri pandits?

    • The Kashmiri Pandits are one of the highest ranked Brahman castes who are the natives of the valley, locally known as pundits.
    • They were the minority in the valley comprising only 5% of the total population.
    • Traditionally dependent on agriculture and small-scale business and one of the favored sections in the administration.

    What is the conflict?

    • Radical Islamists and militants started targeting the Kashmiri pundits putting in front the option of either of conversion or persecution.
    • The Growth of militancy in the 1990s forced Kashmiri pandits to leave the valley in greater numbers. They started migrating to the other states, leaving every belonging behind and seeking refuge in other parts.
    • While many of them started migrating some decided to stay back in their homeland.
    • Conflict arose between radical Islamists organization and the Hindus leading to the mass killings of the Kashmiri Hindus in waves which is termed as exodus.

    kashmiri panditWhat has been done so far?

    • After the Pandit exodus from the Valley in the 1990s, the first few years of this century saw government efforts to send Pandits back to the Valley.
    • Under the Prime Minister’s return and rehabilitation of Kashmir migrants scheme, created government postings in the Valley for Kashmiri Pandit “migrant” youth.
    • Mostly, teachers and these government employees have lived in protected high security enclaves, but their work requires them to leave these enclaves and mingle with the rest of the population. Another segment, known as “non-migrant” Pandits because they never left the Valley, has lived in their own homes, without state-provided protection.

    What is CDR?

    • Centre for dialogue and reconciliation (CDR) is a Delhi-based think-tank incorporated in March 2001, aims to be a catalyst for peace in South Asia.
    • CDR working for the peace-building process in Jammu Kashmir, supported the initiative of dialogue between the two communities as a part of self-assessment, acknowledging the mistakes.

    kashmiri panditsWhat did CDR do in Kashmir?

    • CDR supported the initiative for a dialogue proposed by two prominent young Kashmiris one a Muslim and the other a Pandit both who have witnessed the violence of 1990 and the subsequent years.
    • They believe in the principle of talking could lead to healing.
    • It led to CDR’s ‘Shared Witness’, a Pandit-Muslim dialogue series, in December 2010.
    • Public intellectuals and other influential persons from both communities were participants

    Observations of the dialogue

    • The dialogue series coincided with the launching of the Prime Minister’s job scheme.
    • Dialogues created a social environment that enabled Kashmiri Pandits to take up government postings in the Valley.
    • They focused on the events in and around 1990, and the incidents that triggered the displacement of the Pandit community.
    • By the third dialogue, participants were sharing individual experiences that did not fit into the narrative that each community had built about the other.
    • The process of the conversation lead them to think on the actual reason behind the conflict, was it communal differences, or was it only religion?

    From the eyes of the pandits

    • Pandits were aggrieved that the Muslims did not protest the Pandit killings, not even when the killers claimed them. That greater responsibility lay with the Muslims as they were the majority.
    • If some social organizations had acted quickly, the exodus could have been stopped.
    • They observed that the Pandit community too had suffered from a lack of leadership.
    • They demand an apology and to set up of possible “Truth commission”

    What do the Muslims say?

    • The Muslim participants felt the Pandits were in denial of the struggle of the Muslims in the Valley, who were facing violence from the system.
    • The Kashmiri Muslim was always portrayed as being misguided, aided, and abetted by Pakistan.
    • The protest in Kashmir was not against religion but against structures of power and oppression.

    What is the Current situation?

    • The fresh spate of targeted killings of Kashmir pandits created an environment of fear and provided a major setback to their rehabilitation in the Kashmir valley.

    Way ahead:

    • We need urgent civil society engagement between communities in Kashmir once again.
    • The government can enable it, but individuals and civil society will need to create conditions on the ground. They will have to encourage people to give up the blame game.

     

    Mains question

    Q. Dialogue can bring peace in Kashmir valley. Critically examine.

     

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  • Mother Tongue as a medium of instruction

    languageContext

    • English should be taught effectively not as the medium, but as a second language

    What is the debate?

    • Over the years, there has been a raging debate over the need for children to have their mother tongue as the medium of instruction in schools.
    • While educationists have emphasised the importance of learning in the mother tongue to enhance a child’s learning and overcome glaring inequities, there has been an equally steady demand for English-medium schools in several States.

    languageHistoric context to this debate

    • Orientalist: Orientalists were the group of people who wanted to give education to Indian people in the Indian language. The emphasis was on the knowledge of the East. They wanted Indians to learn about Indian philosophy, science, and literature. In the Initial stage, company officials favoured oriental learning.
    • Anglicist: Anglicists were those people who supported the teaching of modern western education to Indian people in the English language. People who favoured Anglicists were Thomas Babington, Macaulay, James’s mill, Charles wood, Charles Trevelyan, and Elphinstone. The Anglicists were supported by the most advanced Indians like Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

    languageWhy mother tongue is important?

    • Suitability to child: There is an almost-complete consensus among educationists, linguistic experts and psychologists that the mother tongue, or the language of the region where the child lives, is the only appropriate language of learning for the child.
    • Incomprehension: A child can be taught any number of languages, particularly later in life, but the medium of learning should be the mother tongue. As a number of classrooms today are stalked by the curse of incomprehension.
    • Pressure of English language: There are a growing number of schools, mostly private, that teach in English. Government schools too in States like Tamil Nadu, unable to bear the pressure from parents and to stop students from migrating to private schools, are switching to English medium.
    • Development in every way: The mother tongue, home language or the first language educationally means the language which the child is using to connect to the world, to people, to nature, to the environment, and to make sense of everything that’s going on. This is the language which helps the child to build, grow and develop in every way.
    • Inability to learn: English medium education is a profound tragedy in Indian education today. Millions are languishing because of their inability to learn in English not English as a language but as a medium through which they acquire any knowledge of any subject.

    Why English Should Be the Medium of Instruction in Schools, Colleges?

    • Connectivity with The Rest of the World: To communicate and be on par with the world, the first language that stands common is English. With English, a student can remain on par with what is happening across the globe. Lack of English knowledge or alone mother tongue does not allow children to progress with the rest of the world.
    • Technologies Can Be Used Only With English Instruction: Most of the modern technologies are invented, reinvented and modernized in foreign shores. The inventors keep the English language for the instruction manual of the technological gadget so that the gadget can be used worldwide.
    • Higher Education Emphasizes on The English language: The main focus of teaching medium in higher secondary as well as in graduation and post-graduation colleges in India. There is no doubt that lecturers also teach in Hindi or other regional languages. However, question design comes in both English and regional language. But most of the classes are taught in English.

    How multilingual approach helps

    • Firstly, multilingualism gives equal status to all languages and there’s enough work, history and research on this.
    • Second, children come from different backgrounds, and in some cases, they are first-generation learners with not much support at home.
    • The multilingual approach thus, is much more flexible, closer to the child, and inclusive. It is democratic, and it accepts that the teacher is not coming from a place of authority and is only correcting spellings and pronunciations.

    Conclusion

    • This myth must be broken that our education system is class and caste neutral. A powerful political movement will have to take place to make the language of learning a choice that is made democratically.

    Mains question

    Q. Should the mother tongue or English be the medium of instruction? Critically explain.

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  • Positive Secularism is allowed: Student to SC in hijab case

    India believes in ‘positive secularism’ based on tolerance of all religious faiths and not ‘negative secularism’ followed in countries like France which holds that display of religion in public is offensive, said a student from Karnataka who has challenged the ban on wearing hijab to school.

    What is Positive Secularism?

    • Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civic affairs and the state.
    • It may be broadened to a similar position seeking to remove or to minimize the role of religion in any public sphere.
    • Positive secularism is where the state plays an enabler role in the exercise of fundamental rights and the religious freedoms of all communities.

    What did the petitioner argue?

    • The petitioner replied that the Constitution itself says that all religions have to be treated with equal respect.
    • It said that the Supreme Court has also held in the Aruna Roy Judgment that there should be no discrimination on the ground of any religion.
    • It went on to say that the State should show ‘reasonable accommodation’ of Muslim students’ right to wear hijab to school as a part of her right to expression, religion and dignity.

    Circumstances where hijab can be prohibited in school

    The State can only restrict her right in three circumstances, the petition highlighted.

    1. One, to protect public order, morality and health.
    2. Two, to protect another fundamental right.
    3. Three, if such a restriction is authorised by a law made to regulate or restrict any economic, financial, political or secular activity which may be associated with religious practice or to provide for social welfare and reform.

    What was the judgment announced by Karnataka HC?

    • The HC held that wearing hijab is not an essential religious practice in Islam and is not, therefore, protected under by the right to freedom of religion guaranteed by Article 25 of the Constitution.
    • The court said it was a reasonable restriction that was constitutionally permissible.
    • The Bench also upheld the legality of the order prescribing guidelines for uniforms in schools and pre-university colleges under the provisions of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983.
    • The court said that school uniform will cease to be a uniform if hijab is also allowed.

    Also read

    [Burning Issue] Freedom of religion and attire

     

     

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  • What is the PM SHRI Scheme?

    Prime Minister has announced that under the PM SHRI Scheme, as many as 14,500 schools will be “upgraded” across India to showcase the components of the National Education Policy, 2020.

    What is the PM SHRI scheme?

    • According to the Ministry of Education, the centrally sponsored scheme will be called PM SHRI Schools (PM Schools for Rising India).
    • Under it, as many as 14,500 schools across states and Union Territories will be redeveloped to reflect the key features of the NEP, 2020.
    • The plan was first discussed with the education ministers of states and UTs during a conference organised by the Ministry of Education in June at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
    • While there are exemplary schools like Navodaya Vidyalayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas, the PM SHRI will act as “NEP labs”.

    What are the key features of NEP in school education?

    • The NEP envisages a curricular structure and teaching style divided into various stages – foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary.
    • The foundational years (pre-school and grades I, II) will involve play-based learning.
    • At the preparatory level (III-V), light textbooks are to be introduced along with some formal classroom teaching. Subject teachers are to be introduced at the middle level (VI-VIII).
    • The secondary stage (IX-XII) will be multidisciplinary in nature with no hard separation between arts and sciences or other disciplines.

    What is a centrally sponsored scheme?

    • A centrally sponsored scheme is one where the cost of implementation is likely to split in the 60:40 ratio among the Union government and the states/Union Territories.
    • For instance, the mid-day meal scheme (PM Poshan) or the PM Awas Yojana are examples of centrally sponsored schemes.
    • In the case of the Northeastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and UTs without legislatures, the Centre’s contribution can go up to 90 per cent.

    How will PM SHRI schools be different from Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas?

    • Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas come entirely under the Centre’s Ministry of Education. They are fully funded by the Union government under Central Sector Schemes.
    • While KVs largely cater to children of Union government employees posted in states and UTs, JNVs were set up to nurture talented students in rural parts of the country.
    • In contrast, PM SHRI schools will be an upgrade of existing schools run by the Centre, states, UTs and local bodies.
    • This essentially means that PM SHRI schools can either be KVs, JNVs, state government schools or even those run by municipal corporations.

    Where will the PM SHRI schools come up?

    • The Centre has not yet released the list of schools that have been chosen for this purpose.
    • It has however announced that the PM SHRI schools will also “offer mentorship” to other schools in their vicinity.
    • These schools will be equipped with modern infrastructure including labs, smart classrooms, libraries, sports equipment, art room etc.
    • It shall also be developed as green schools with water conservation, waste recycling, energy-efficient infrastructure and integration of organic lifestyle in curriculum.

     

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  • Issues faced by Teachers in India

    teacher Context

    • 5 September is teacher’s day. Teachers’ Day or Shikshak Divas marks the birthday of the country’s first Vice President (1952–1962) who went on to become the second President of India (1962-1967), a scholar, philosopher, Bharat Ratna awardee, a highly-respected teacher and prolific statesman – Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.

    teacher What are the issue with teachers?

    • Less attractive career: It seems that teaching the young is no longer an attractive profession because systemic conditions are so discouraging. It points towards the reforms that education now requires.
    • Diversion from teaching: Teaching children is not regarded as a serious profession. Non-teaching duties are routinely assigned, and now the digital regime has washed away the few traces of professional autonomy even in the best of private schools.
    • Bureaucratic over vigilance: So deep is official suspicion of their integrity that many states have installed CCTV cameras in classrooms. That is not the only form of insult teacher’s face. They have little power to assert their professional dignity in the face of bureaucratic or managerial authority.
    • Marginalisation by coaching institutes: The Indian school teacher now faces new social and economic forces. Coaching institutions have marginalised the secondary-level science teacher. All over the country, children are allowed to bunk school to attend NEET and JEE coaching classes. Science and math teachers were, in any case, aware that their pedagogic effectiveness would be measured by an unreformed examination system.
    • Reliability issue due to internet overuse: Social Science teachers are coping with a different kind of challenge to justify their knowledge and interpretation. Children’s access to the internet exposes them to a wilderness of socio-political ideas and information. It is not easy for social science teachers to convince children that they are more reliable than a YouTube video or a WhatsApp message.

    Catchy line in this context for value addition

    Jinke jiwan me guru nahi, unka jiwan abhi shuru nahi.

    How to address these challenges

    • Supporting teacher control over curriculum and instruction: Classical top-down school leadership needs to be re-examined, and teachers must be recognized as professionals who have expertise to make good learning decisions for their students.
    • Establish adequate pay scales and financial incentives: Compensation systems signal what skills and attributes are valued and what kinds of contributions are rewarded.
    • Establish and conduct personnel evaluation systems: Teachers need regular feedback and accurate information on job expectations.
    • Provide adequate planning time for teachers: While all teachers work under tremendous time constraints, experienced teachers generally are able to complete their planning more quickly. For new teachers, adequate planning time can allay feelings of being overwhelmed.
    • Provide a structure for team planning and teaching: Teachers often report feeling isolated in their classrooms. Team planning and teaching can be an important step in retaining a high quality teaching force.

    teacher Conclusion

    • Since the teacher is the pivot of the entire educational system and is the main catalytic agent for introducing desirable changes in the teaching learning process, all attempts need be made for motivating teachers to become innovative and creative. It goes without saying that a self-motivated and really industrious teacher can utilise his own resources to keep themselves abreast of new knowledge and skills.

    Mains question

    Q. It seems that teaching the young is no longer an attractive profession because systemic conditions are so discouraging. Critically analyse.

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