Pune: Stating that there could be no compromise on quality in education, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday warned that schools not adhering to quality standards, across the country, would face closure.
Speaking at the inauguration session of 8th edition of the Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad (Indian Students’ Parliament) hosted by the city-based MIT group of Institutes, Mr. Javadekar said as in the case of universities, schools across the country would be subjected to a quality audit every five years.
“Several schools are functioning in the country despite producing zero results. This is impermissible and is going to change very soon,” he said, adding that his Ministry, and the Centre, is firmly committed to ‘quality education for all’. Schools would be subjected to periodic assessment and be accredited like colleges, he said.
Mr. Javadekar’s pronouncements on the lack of learning in schools come in the backdrop of the the Maharashtra government’s recent announcement last month that it would be shutting down 1,314 schools across the State where the enrollment is below 10.
The decision was based on a survey of existing conditions and enrolment ratios in schools. The survey found that more than 4,300 government schools and around 70 private schools had less than 10 students enrolled in them.
The Minister enumerated the Union government’s achievements in education, mentioning the passage of the IIT (Amendment) Bill, the boost to technical education, the initiative to set up research parks in the seven IITs and the efforts at streamlining the accreditation process among others.
“Institutes with high NAAC scores will automatically be given autonomy and they won’t have to come to the Ministry or regulatory bodies for the same,” he said.
Mr. Javadekar emphasised the need for more innovation across the country’s campuses.
“The need of the hour is to focus on creating more research labs to enable students to innovate contribute towards the country’s prosperity,” he said.
