Devi Kar is director of the CISCE-affiliated Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata and the Modern Academy of Continuing Education. A nationally respected educationist, she serves on the boards of several education institutions. 

Are you satisfied with the Union Budget 2018-19 allocation of Rs.85,010 crore for education?

One is never satisfied with the allocation for education — it’s never been adequate. The cess for education has been raised from 3 to 4 percent but even after the cess was introduced in 2005, we haven’t seen any qualitative improvement in school education, as testified by the Annual Status of Education Report published every year by the respected NGO Pratham Education Foundation.

The Union government proposes to scrap the no-detention until class VIII provision of the RTE Act. Are you in favour of this amendment?

Yes, I am in favour. Such universal prescriptions are usually damaging. A no-detention policy works well in schools where the numbers are small and individualised remedial measures can be introduced. Such conditions are a luxury in the greater part of India. And although, it’s true that all ‘non-performers’ don’t benefit by repeating a class, many do. 

What is your solution to reforming the country’s exam/assessment system?

It is the assessment system which is at the root of most of our education problems. No assessment system can be flawless but our current system as represented by national and regional board examinations is disastrous. More importantly, a single final exam at the end of the academic year should be replaced by a more flexible system where examinees need not write all the papers at the same time. 

Top 3 suggestions for reforming K-12 education?

• The most vital need is to design strong teacher training and development programmes. No education system can work without competent teachers.

• There should be various difficulty levels in the languages, mathematics and sciences to accommodate individual student differences. 

• An effective school education must comprise life-skills, value education, the arts, citizenship and health and fitness education fitted into a well-integrated programme. This will give students a robust foundation.

Unfortunately our K-12 education system is compartmentalised, and in the senior years reduced to just preparing students for the board or competitive exams.