Govt’s new education reform plan under High Court scanner

The Delhi high court has sought the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s reply to a plea, challenging its new education reform plan ‘Chunauti 2018’, which seeks to check dropout rate of students and improve education quality with special focus on the weaker students.

Under ‘Chunauti 2018’ scheme, students would be mapped and the weaker students would be given “special focus” to enhance learning levels from classes 6 to 9. A Bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal also issued notices to all three municipal corporations and sought their stand on the plea, which has demanded that ‘Chunauti 2018’ be extended to primary classes as well. 

The plea said that the current scheme prescribed assessments and supplementary learning interventions only for children of classes 6 to 9. The court has fixed the matter for hearing on November 28.

The plea, filed by the Centre for Civil Society, has alleged “Right to Education has been reduced to right to schooling”. Advocate Prashant Narang, appearing for the organisation, said, “The current emphasis is on buildings, teachers and toilets rather than learning. Assessment showed huge learning deficits and government knows it very well.” 

“The RTE places a legal obligation on the government, local authority and teachers to ensure learning through assessments and targeted learning intervention. Not only for middle classes, but for primary classes as well,” it added. The plea said the recent assessment of sixth graders conducted by the government found that 74 per cent students were unable to read or write basic text of Hindi, indicating huge learning deficits accrued during primary classes.