Reshma Ravishanker
The year 2024 has seen more untoward than pleasant developments for the Education sector. The year saw multiple paper leaks, casting speculations over the examination system, textbook controversies and teacher recruitment scams that remained in news for several months. Here’s a brief glimpse into what the year 2024 looked like.
Controversial NCERT textbook omissions
Over 2023-24, a series of changes to the NCERT textbooks drew flak with the congress calling the council an RSS affiliate. Among them were omission of chapters on Gujarat riots, Babri Masjid demolition and parts of the chapters on Mughal emperors, Industrial revolution, Confrontation of cultures stating that it was a repetition.
Year of paper leaks
In February, the UP Police constable recruitment exams papers were leaked and candidates claimed that they were available for a price of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. The government then cancelled these exams. This year’s NEET-UG 2024 held in May was embroiled in controversy over alleged paper leak, inflation of marks and lack of time due to misplaced papers. In June, yet again, NEET-UGC was postponed after the union education minister confirmed the paper was leaked via the dark web. In June, the UGC NET 2024 was also cancelled after the ministry of home affairs said that the “integrity of exams had been compromised” following a possible paper leak. The union government has constituted a committee of experts headed by former ISRO chairman, Dr K Radhakrishnan to propose changes for error free exams.
Students drown at Delhi coaching centre
In July, three students drowned after heavy rains caused flooding of a library in one of Delhi’s private coaching centres and an infrastructure lapse caused them to stay locked up inside. This exposed a series of lapses in these coaching centres and appalling living conditions of students. Authorities then ordered closure of all operations in basements of any coaching centres.
Two massive teacher recruitment scams
Major teacher recruitment scams were unearthed in the states of Bihar and West Bengal this year. The West Bengal government approached the Supreme Court in April after the Calcutta High Court cancelled the appointments of over 24,000 teachers and staff. Massive fraud was reported in Bihar teacher recruitment exam where 4000 were found ineligible, 24000 might lose jobs over fake caste, disability and sports certificates.
Rape and murder of Kolkata medico
West Bengal chief minister has been at the centre of incessant criticism since August following the brutal rape and death of a second year PG student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The incident exposed several issues including financial irregularities, discrimination and the deplorable working conditions for medicos under former head of the college Dr Sandip Ghosh. In a latest development, Ghosh has been granted bail by the Kolkata High Court.
Bomb threats to schools
Multiple incidents of hoax bomb threats to schools were reported across Bengaluru and Delhi forcing schools to send students back home. While in May, at least 10 Bengaluru schools got a threat via a hoax email, in October, three engineering colleges received them. As recently as in December, Delhi schools received bomb threats via e-mails. Also, in October, a low intensity blast just outside the compound wall of a CRPF school in Rohini, Delhi had left residents shocked. This was linked to the Khalistani forces.
Foreign university campuses in India
In August 2024, The University of Southampton announced its first offshore campus of a foreign university at Gurugram in India under the new National Education Policy. This varsity, which will operate under UGC regulations, will welcome its first batch by July 2025. In 2023, Australia’s Deakin University also established a campus in Gujarat.
Karnataka board exams fiasco
The state was also criticized after students and lecturers alleged that over 50 out of syllabus questions were given in the government-organised K-CET entrance exam for professional courses. In February this year, students of class V, VIII and IX wrote a newly introduced board exam, masked as a summative assessment and after much to and fro by several benches of the high court and supreme court, the exam was declared invalid, and results were withheld. The SSLC (class X) state board exams were replete with controversy. The state reported an abysmally low pass percentage, 30% lower than the previous year, forcing the exam board to issue grace marks and multiple supplementary attempts to push the pass percentage near normal.
Madarsa verdict
After a long drawn battle questioning the validity of Madarsa education and citing that it undermined the principles of secularism, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, presided over by former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in November upheld the Constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004 (Madarsa Act).