Contrary to what is being boasted, especially after the advent of the New Education Policy, the country has started witnessing deterioration of the educational set-up, with controversies coming to the fore one after another.
The first in the series was related to the shift in CBSE Class 12 paper checking to the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, in which answer sheets were scanned and evaluated digitally. The controversy was triggered by glitches, exchange of answer sheets, and significant drops in student scores, leading to intense scrutiny of the board’s evaluation process.
The second was the alleged NEET paper leak that led to the re-conduct of this examination, putting immense pressure on the aspiring candidates and causing erosion of the people’s trust in the agencies holding this exam and the government also. This was not enough, and a new issue has come to the fore whereby the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has issued an advisory asking the students, parents, teachers and schools to remain wary of the circulation of fake NCERT textbooks.
The National Council should understand that it is not enough to simply issue an advisory because it is the responsibility of those helming the affairs of this educational body to rope in law enforcement agencies and crack the whip on the wrongdoers, as circulation of pirated books is not a thing which could be taken for granted.
It is necessary that the NCERT should take the matter as a priority because simply issuing an advisory won’t serve the purpose. The trail of controversies with regard to the educational set-up is an indication that all is not well in this sector and there is a dire need to oversee things to safeguard the future of the upcoming nation builders.
It is pertinent to mention that the Council has specifically flagged a fake and unofficial version of the Class IX Social Science Part 1 textbook, “Understanding Society India & Beyond,” which is reportedly being shared through social media platforms, websites and messaging groups, falsely claiming to provide authentic NCERT study material.
As this controversy pertains to the future of the students, every single day wasted can cost dearly, so the concerned authorities should come up with a concrete mechanism to stop the sale and distribution of fake books and tighten the noose around those involved in this Gorakhdhanda because substandard study material can pose a grave risk to the future of the students.
It is better that the NCERT should supply books directly to schools, eliminating the middlemen and the scope for promoting piracy. As India is globally known for its standard of teaching, and the students of this country have earned name and fame across the world by showing their dominance in almost all fields, the government should intervene and ensure that educational institutions continue to impart quality education and such controversies should be sorted out as soon as possible.
