Guest column: Need to start from scratch to make a change in govt schools'

NEET and the proposed single-admission test for engineering admissions have brought the state government – and the schools associated with it – an enormous challenge. The government is spending heavily on the primary and secondary education sector, but there are currently 60,000 SSLC schools across Karnataka. They have no choice but to increase the allocation if they want to compete with private schools.

The revamping of schools following the state syllabus needs to be done at different levels. Rural schools are still shabby in comparison with their urban counterparts, despite the fact that the latter are also crying out for a facelift. Still, the fact that a student from Bhadravati emerged the topper, that too with cent percent results, shows that we can reach out to every corner of the state if we try.
There is a lot of difference between an NCERT syllabus and that offered by the state. To bring a state-syllabus student on part with their peers from ICSE and CBSE schools, the NCERT syllabus should be introduced at the +2 level.

However, the transition could prove too much for many students, which means the only option is to have NCERT textbooks brought in at the primary and secondary levels. Then, this needs to be made effective through better infrastructure like higher numbers of teachers, good labs and ICT facilities in our government schools. Many state-run schools are lacking on every count. We need to start from scratch if we want to make any kind of difference to the situation.

The writer is Principal, UVCE and a member of the AICTE expert committee.