Training teachers and improving schools

The school system as we know it to be now needs to undergo a serious transformation. India surely cannot aspire to be an economic power to reckon with without putting its children through school with a basic education. Of course, children are getting educated, but it happens one way or the other. It is just not good enough. Exceptions don’t add up to much and what is called for is a system that can serve the country well given its many diverse needs.    

When the Supreme Court recently annulled thousands of appointments in West Bengal’s government-run schools, upholding charges of malfeasance, it was to us a story that deserved much more attention than it was generally getting. In one stroke, the judges had found it necessary to bring classrooms to a standstill in 19,000 schools. The fine print of the law was merely reflecting the chaotic and often politically tainted way in which teachers have been getting appointed. Most states don’t even have a formal recruitment policy.

Pegged on West Bengal’s fiasco, our cover story this month makes a brave attempt to put in focus some of the issues pertaining to the training and recruitment of teachers. Teachers, motivated and well chosen, have to be at the heart of a school system. The complexities are many and we make no claim to having dealt with them adequately in a few thousand words of reportage. Yet, how nice it would be if a conversation could get going.

For the rest, we criss-cross the country from arsenic poisoning in Uttar Pradesh to Kashmir’s quest for normalcy and its marvellous new bridge and the wonder of small orchards in Madhya Pradesh. We take you deep into Chinatown in Kolkata and give you Saibal Chatterjee’s review of a film on poppy growers in our Living section.

Our columnists in the Insights section offer much to think about. Sanjaya Baru presents a perspective on war and peace that rises above the slogans and politics that tend to overtake the India-Pakistan conflict. With Kiran Karnik in Looking Ahead you could think about preparing for an AI guru of your choosing. Chandra Bhushan calls for a fresh approach to the problem of plastic — his is the voice of reason in the voluntary sector. Venkatesh Dutta reminds us that the clock ticks for the Gomti as it does for so many other neglected rivers. And we introduce Meghna Uniyal with a column titled Citizens In Court in which she discusses a case that seeks relief for people with disabilities who feel threatened by strays in public spaces. A visually challenged person carrying a stick easily becomes a target of stray dogs, for instance.