Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar makes important announcements, after conducting a Meeting with Rajasthan Education Minister, A mission successfully accomplished by CM.
‘Examination’, probably the most dreaded experience for a student is actually important with regards to their career. It provides a medium to gauge students’ abilities and teacher’s expertise in education. Sharing somewhat similar opinion, CM Vasundhara Raje took concrete measures in improving academic stratum in Rajasthan. Owing to her efforts, 15 lakh students were enrolled in Rajasthan government schools during academic session 2015-2016. And now, the state rejoices for another reason. Recently, the Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has decided to reintroduce Class X Board Exam (CBSE) starting from 2017 on recurring requests by the Rajasthan government.
Main Highlights
- Rajasthan was first among the states that expressed their concern about declining status of education after the ex-Congress leaders abolished board exams. It was done on the pretext of academic and parental pressure resulting in teen suicides.
- After a thorough discussion with Rajasthan HRD Minister Rajendra Rathode, Javadekar decided to reintroduce Class X Board 2017-18 to eliminate the fear of students towards examination.
- Javadekar gave state governments the authority of having class V and class VIII Board examinations in government schools. Soon, he’ll be scripting a proposal in this regard for both the Cabinet and the Parliament.
- When asked how will the government cope with increasing number of suicides in the country, Javadekar proposed the concept of IIT-PAL.
- IIT-PAL is an online portal providing free help to students preparing for IIT-JEE and AIEEE. Additionally the government will offer facilities like counselling, consultation and study material for the students.
- The Centre feels regular testing will invoke curiosity in the students and help them perform better.
Why Did Raje Government Wanted to Reintroduce Exams?
A peaceful, progressive society is built on the foundation of quality education and paramount learning. School is like a lighthouse that directs young minds on the path of truth, rationality and ethics. CM Raje, who pined for a learned, radical and economically adept society, knew it was an important step towards improving the quality of education.
How will it benefit the state? This step would convince more parents to send their kids to school. Moreover, frequent tests will eliminate a child’s fear and reluctance towards examination.
Keeping this in mind, Raje government had proposed optional board examinations for Class VII in 2014, much before this decision was made. Students and parents could willingly decide whether they wanted to opt for this option or not. Moreover, they’ve launched the SHREE project (Sanitation, Health, Rural Connectivity, Electricity and Education) for villages that had less than 5,000 residents. The first pilot project for SHREE was proposed at Bharatpur division.
To improve the status of health and medical education, the government had decided to run PHCs on Public-Private partnership mode. They were planning to re-appoint retired doctors to sculpt down the costs of hiring experts.
Considering the vital role of education in shaping a country’s future, Rajasthan Government looks forward to implementing this change as soon as it’s legalized. Recently, 50,000 B.Ed. students were enrolled in internship program, which is yet another feather on Raje’s colourful cap. It seems 2016 was a lucky year for Rajasthan that achieved major success in academics.
