People's Democracy

Make CABE A Statutory Body: SFI

THE central executive committee of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has put forward the demand that the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) must be made a statuary body, with an appropriate composition, keeping in view the Supreme Court judgement that lifted the stay on the NCERT curriculum. It will be noted that in three separate but concurring judgements, the three judge bench of the Supreme Court has lifted a previous interim stay order on implementation of the National Curriculum Framework on School Education (NCFSE). While dismissing the plea that the NCFSE prepared by the NCERT had not been prepared in consultation with the CABE, it was held that “nowhere was it mentioned that it is mandatory for the government to consult CABE and act per its advice.”

The judgement, which recognised the role played by the CABE for coordination between the states and the centre in implementing the education policy, dismissed the contention that the NCFSE was not consulted by the CABE and stated that “in evolving a national policy on education and based thereon a curriculum, it was desirable to consult CABE although for the non-consultation, the National policy and the curriculum could not be set aside by the court.” Thus, the SFI pointed out, it was only a technicality on which basis the court dismissed the case. This has to be plugged to prevent misuse in the future, the SFI statement said.

To the SFI, this means that it should be made mandatory that all actions related to education at the national level, including planning and policy making, are guided and coordinated by the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE). Only this will ensure that educational policy making takes place within the federal framework of our constitution, the SFI statement added. (INN)