Speaker 1: In today's episode, we look at how a food safety
Speaker 1: complained at an Amdabad school turned into a wider controversy
Speaker 1: over books by Malala Yusufzai and An Frank. We also
Speaker 1: turned to Kashmir, where the United States is considering whether
Speaker 1: to review its travel advisory for American citizens visiting the region.
Speaker 1: But we begin today by discussing three bills passed by
Speaker 1: the Punjab government that it says will bring a digital
Speaker 1: revolution to the state's education system. Hi a Michasharma and
Speaker 1: you're listening to three Things the Indian Express New show.
Speaker 1: Last week, the Punjab with Han Sabha passed three bills
Speaker 1: pertaining to digital universities. These bills will legally enable the
Speaker 1: establishment of three private digital open universities in Punjab, which
Speaker 1: the ruling arb government says will pave the way for
Speaker 1: digital revolution. But the opposition has objected to the three bills,
Speaker 1: saying the flout guidelines and regulations of the University Grants
Speaker 1: Commission for Online Education. So to learn more about these bills,
Speaker 1: why the Punjab government is introducing them and the concerns
Speaker 1: raised by the opposition, my Khalagiharakananda speaks to the Indian
Speaker 1: Expresses one a month Singh China who reported on the
Speaker 1: story for the newspaper. So, mana man, what do.
Speaker 2: These three digital university bills passed by the government say.
Speaker 3: Yes, these three digital universities are supposed to offer courses
Speaker 3: in the online mode to students of the state and
Speaker 3: also students beyond the state because this is not going
Speaker 3: to be a physical university and these are going to
Speaker 3: be online modes of education. Out of these three universities,
Speaker 3: two are going to come up in Patala and one
Speaker 3: is going to come up in Oshiarpur. So basically there
Speaker 3: will be a physical campus only for the purpose of
Speaker 3: having administration facilities. There will not be any classes or
Speaker 3: laboratories or any teaching which will be done on campus.
Speaker 3: So the entire syllables or entire course will be taught
Speaker 3: in an online mode. So which is why these universities
Speaker 3: are being called digital.
Speaker 2: But why does the Punjab government want to start digital universities?
Speaker 2: Is there any specific reason behind it.
Speaker 3: Well, one of the reasons, they says, they want to
Speaker 3: expand it in the online mode because you know, more
Speaker 3: and more students rather they feel are more interested in
Speaker 3: education through online mode. And number two, they also want
Speaker 3: to promote teaching of art subjects like artificial intelligence and
Speaker 3: matters connected to that. So they feel that, you know,
Speaker 3: this can be better taught in an online manner. But
Speaker 3: it is basically just yet another mode of education which
Speaker 3: they are promoting because Punjab already has several physical universities.
Speaker 3: And what the government says, and we spoke to the
Speaker 3: Minister for Education, he says that, you know, this is
Speaker 3: a new method which is coming forth and Punjab was
Speaker 3: taken it.
Speaker 2: And Mnaman you mentioned that these universities will have physical campuses,
Speaker 2: So what will their purpose be?
Speaker 3: Well, yes, they will be having administrative complex. They are
Speaker 3: required to have a certain acreage of land, so there
Speaker 3: is a minimum land requirement. But that will not be
Speaker 3: for holding classes or for you know, inviting students to
Speaker 3: come and attend classes. So this will all take place
Speaker 3: online in online mode. Only administrative facilities and you know,
Speaker 3: for whatever office work they would require some sort of
Speaker 3: a campus. So that is enshrined in the bill.
Speaker 2: And tell us about the three universities that will be
Speaker 2: established as a part of this, who will be their promoters?
Speaker 3: So the promoters of all these three universities have a
Speaker 3: background in education. One university which is named Cloud University
Speaker 3: that will come up in Patala and that is being
Speaker 3: promoted by educational group called the Riata and Barra Group.
Speaker 3: They already run two universities in Punjab, so this will
Speaker 3: be their third university. The other two universities of physical campuses,
Speaker 3: so this is going to be their first online university.
Speaker 3: Then there is a university which is going to be
Speaker 3: called the Physics Swala Digital University. So Physics Swala is
Speaker 3: a very well known brand as far as coaching is
Speaker 3: concerned for NEAT exams or for JE so this is
Speaker 3: a very well known group. So they are also going
Speaker 3: to come up with a campus in Punjab. And the
Speaker 3: third is another well known educational group which already has
Speaker 3: educational institutions in and around Patiala, so they would be
Speaker 3: coming up with the Digital University in Patiala. So the
Speaker 3: first one, the Cloud University, is going to come up
Speaker 3: in Hosharpur, and the MS University is going to come
Speaker 3: up in Patiala and the Physics Swala University is also
Speaker 3: going to come up in Patiala.
Speaker 2: But we understand that these bills are facing criticism from
Speaker 2: the opposition. What are their concerns yes.
Speaker 3: The opposition has several concerns as far as these bills
Speaker 3: are concerned, and particularly the Congress which opposed the introduction
Speaker 3: of these bills in with Hansama. The first concern is
Speaker 3: that there are violations of UGC guidelines. So what that
Speaker 3: bill mentions is that these universities would be free to
Speaker 3: offer medical, paramedical and engineering courses as well as MFILL
Speaker 3: and PhD. So what the Congress says is that the
Speaker 3: UGC Act, the University Grants Commission Act and their rules
Speaker 3: and regulations they expressly prohibit online teaching methods as far
Speaker 3: as medical, paramedical and engineering subjects are concerned, as also PhD.
Speaker 3: So these subjects cannot be taught in an online mode.
Speaker 3: As we know, law also cannot be taught in online mode.
Speaker 3: So they have said that why has this been included
Speaker 3: in the Act when this is a flagrant violation of
Speaker 3: what UGC says. Their other concern is the lack of
Speaker 3: oversight which the Punjab government will have on this private
Speaker 3: university because the governor will have visiting rights to the
Speaker 3: university and he can inspect the university. But the opposition
Speaker 3: says that which governor has the time to go and
Speaker 3: inspect universities and ombudsman has been provided for in the bill,
Speaker 3: but that ombudsmen will also be appointed by the universities themselves,
Speaker 3: So therefore the opposition says that this is not a
Speaker 3: valid check, so there have to be some checks and
Speaker 3: balances when if the university is going to appoint its
Speaker 3: own person who's going to have a check on them,
Speaker 3: then that will lead to inadequate checks. And there is
Speaker 3: also concern over funding of the university. While the bill
Speaker 3: says that the state government will not be funding these
Speaker 3: universities and they will be funded by the promoters themselves, however,
Speaker 3: there is a clause in the bill which opposition says
Speaker 3: which says that state agencies can fund these universities, so
Speaker 3: that also is one of the major objections. The final
Speaker 3: objection is that there is a sort of a time
Speaker 3: bound manner in which the statutes can be amended. For
Speaker 3: first five years, the statutes cannot be amended without the
Speaker 3: consent of the state government, but after the five years
Speaker 3: the universities are free to amend their statutes. The opposition
Speaker 3: also raises concerns on this issue. So overall, there are
Speaker 3: several areas of concern which the opposition has flagged.
Speaker 2: So Manaman, now that these bills have been passed, what
Speaker 2: happens next? How do we see this process moving forward?
Speaker 3: So the bills which have been passed by the Wahansaba
Speaker 3: will now be put up to the Punjab Governor for
Speaker 3: his assent, and in case he gives his assent to
Speaker 3: these bills, then they become an act and the universities
Speaker 3: can then come up in the finality, however, one of
Speaker 3: the MLAs of the Congress has already gone and met
Speaker 3: the Governor of Punjab and voiced his opposition to these
Speaker 3: bills and given a complete charter of the points which
Speaker 3: I've mentioned to you that they feel that they have
Speaker 3: been inadequately addressed. So if the Governor feels that there
Speaker 3: are some points which needs to be gratified, he can
Speaker 3: send the bill back for reconsideration. But if he's satisfied
Speaker 3: that there are adequate safeguards, he may give his assent.
Speaker 3: In that case it will become a finality.
Speaker 1: And next we talk about m Dabad, where a protest
Speaker 1: over a school meal has spiraled into a much wider controversy.
Speaker 1: It began at the Anna and Nicaithan School in Shillajs
Speaker 1: locality after a class eighth student allegedly found a piece
Speaker 1: of glass in the lunch served on campus. The student's
Speaker 1: parents said he may have swallowed part of it, and
Speaker 1: several parents later gathered at the school demanding answers. But
Speaker 1: the issue did not remain limited to food safety. During
Speaker 1: the protests, some parents also objected to the books that
Speaker 1: students were allegedly being required to read, including books by
Speaker 1: education activist Malala Yososai and The Diary of a Young
Speaker 1: Girl by Anne Frank, one of the most well known
Speaker 1: accounts of the Holocaust. So to understand how did a
Speaker 1: complain about glass in a school meal turn into a
Speaker 1: larger controversy over curriculum, we were joined by the Indian
Speaker 1: expresses Ritu Sharma, who reported on the story for the
Speaker 1: paper Rutu, could you start by telling us how this
Speaker 1: controversy began?
Speaker 4: So what happened was that last week on August eleven,
Speaker 4: so several parents they reached at a popular private school
Speaker 4: in Amherbad after a suspected glass piece was found in
Speaker 4: a meal of a class eight student. Now, the student
Speaker 4: felt something hard in his mouth while he was having
Speaker 4: his lunch of normal bindi the alta pati rice which
Speaker 4: was served in the school as a part of the
Speaker 4: school meals only. So while he claimed to have swallowed
Speaker 4: some bits, the remaining pieces he said that that looked
Speaker 4: like glass. He said he handed it over to the
Speaker 4: one of the teachers was in the dining area at
Speaker 4: that time. This incident then led to a protest by
Speaker 4: parents outside the school. So when they alleged that the
Speaker 4: school management was not handing them over the suspected glass piece.
Speaker 4: The parents of the boy alleged that they were showed
Speaker 4: by the school to resolve the issue, but they waited
Speaker 4: for hours and the school was not communicating with the parent.
Speaker 4: There was no communication from the school and they were
Speaker 4: forced to protest now. The parents said that the doctor
Speaker 4: had asked for the piece their son had swallowed for
Speaker 4: further diagnosis and treatment, so whether the child needs to
Speaker 4: go under an endoscopy or not, else there is a
Speaker 4: risk of internal bleeding. The parents also alleged that the
Speaker 4: school was well aware about the medical issue but still
Speaker 4: was risking the child's life. They said that the school
Speaker 4: teachers were there because the school teachers had taken the
Speaker 4: boy to the hospital to the doctor and they knew
Speaker 4: when the doctor had kind of briefed the parents that
Speaker 4: the doctor needed to have the remaining suspected glass piece
Speaker 4: which the boy had swallowed for the medical diagnosis, else
Speaker 4: they could be medical complications. Now the school informed the
Speaker 4: parents about the glass piees that in a hurry to
Speaker 4: take the boy to the doctor, they misplaced and lost
Speaker 4: the glass piece. Now, but the parents in return, they
Speaker 4: alleged that the school was kind of trying to save
Speaker 4: its image and not handing them over the piece.
Speaker 1: And for our listeners from outside and the bad what
Speaker 1: all do we know about the school?
Speaker 4: So the school we're talking about is Ana Nikitin School,
Speaker 4: one of the campuses which is in Chilaj. Now, this
Speaker 4: is a prominent private school in Gujarad. There are several
Speaker 4: branches I would say is seven branches in Amdaba and
Speaker 4: even outside Ambabad in cities like Masana, Baruch, Kaparada and
Speaker 4: even Jaipur in Rajasthan.
Speaker 1: And as you mentioned, initially it was over a piece
Speaker 1: of glass. So how did it become a controversy about
Speaker 1: children reading books by activist Malala Yosufzai and and Frank
Speaker 1: because there is no obvious connection between the two issues.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you have correctcha. So now, however, soon the protest
Speaker 4: over they suspected glass piece in Bindi soon snowballed into
Speaker 4: an allegation against the school management for discrimination towards a
Speaker 4: particular religion. As members of right wing organizations including Vishua,
Speaker 4: Hindu Parishad and Badranda reached the school to join the
Speaker 4: parents protest, it turned into allegations of school participating into
Speaker 4: our practicing anti Hindu activities. Now what followed was open
Speaker 4: allegations against the school promoting a particular religion its festivals,
Speaker 4: ideology and even books. Now soon the parents also joined
Speaker 4: these allegations. They alleged that the school has made it
Speaker 4: compulsory for students to study books by Pakistani female education
Speaker 4: activist Malala Yusuzai and trangu Is, the German born Jewish
Speaker 4: diarist and Holocaust victim. Now they also started questioning the management,
Speaker 4: claiming that they have heard the management of the school
Speaker 4: has changed, even the school principle was changed. And there
Speaker 4: were other allegations also that for the first time, there
Speaker 4: was a holiday declared on Id and not on Ratiyatra.
Speaker 4: And also the students have exams during Navratri, which is
Speaker 4: one of the biggest festivals in Kudrat. The allegations even
Speaker 4: came out as like now these were from by the
Speaker 4: right wing demonstrators who had reached the school, that they
Speaker 4: have even changed the school has even changed the morning prayers. Now.
Speaker 4: In response to all these allegations, both by their parents
Speaker 4: and the right wing activists, the school issued a statement
Speaker 4: the same day and said that they would like to
Speaker 4: clarify that literary works for internationally recognized authors including Malala
Speaker 4: Yusubzai and Ann Frank are part of widely recognized education
Speaker 4: literature and are included in the school's book club with
Speaker 4: the objective of encouraging age appropriate reading, reflection, empathy, and
Speaker 4: global awareness among students.
Speaker 1: Andto in a broader sense. Most of the stakeholders you
Speaker 1: spoke to talk about how these books are out of syllabus.
Speaker 1: But then the obvious question is aren't schools expected to
Speaker 1: encourage children to read beyond their textbooks? Like does a
Speaker 1: book being outside the prescribed syllabus itself create a problem?
Speaker 4: Apparently it should not, and it did not till August eleven. Now,
Speaker 4: as some of the students said, these books were a
Speaker 4: part of the book club for years now, and these
Speaker 4: allegations also led to other show cause noticed by the DOO,
Speaker 4: particularly regarding these accusations of these books and the morning Prayers,
Speaker 4: though these were not a part of the regular curriculum,
Speaker 4: but these were mandatory. These were compulsory in the book
Speaker 4: club of the school, but not as a regular curriculum.
Speaker 1: And so were these objections limited to Malala an or
Speaker 1: are there others as well? No?
Speaker 4: No, though there are other books also by other acclaimed
Speaker 4: authors in the book club and even in the library.
Speaker 4: But they were allegation accusations majorly on these two, and
Speaker 4: even between the two, it was more about Malala now
Speaker 4: to these. The school management also responded in its written statement.
Speaker 4: This decision came after the protest a day after the
Speaker 4: protests that these books which were mandatory for students as
Speaker 4: part of the book club, so they were made optional.
Speaker 4: So the school declared that these would be made optional
Speaker 4: in the book club and the library, which are intended
Speaker 4: solely to encourage reading a literary appreciation. So the school
Speaker 4: said that the said books are not part of the
Speaker 4: school's compulsory curriculum, not as students mandatorily required to read
Speaker 4: them as part of their academic course of study. And
Speaker 4: then they also assured that the school management has always
Speaker 4: remained committed to complying with all the applicable rules and regulations.
Speaker 1: Right, and you highlight how the curriculum consultant was removed.
Speaker 1: So why was that?
Speaker 4: Yeah, since the parents are alleged that the curriculum consultant
Speaker 4: has tweaked the curriculum to add these books of Malalai
Speaker 4: use of zi in anfrang, making it mandatory for students
Speaker 4: of the school. Now, in response to these allegations, the
Speaker 4: chairmen of Anna Nikatin Group of Schools Kamal Mangal give
Speaker 4: it in writing to the state government stating that these
Speaker 4: were incomplete and frivolous reports. The statement read, I quote
Speaker 4: as for the incomplete and frivolous reports circulating that the
Speaker 4: curriculum consultant is handling the profile of the head of school,
Speaker 4: which are totally baseless. The school has never declared the
Speaker 4: consultant as head of school in any of its communications.
Speaker 4: She has always maintained that she would be a visiting
Speaker 4: consultant to be invited as and when require, while also
Speaker 4: providing her expertise to other organizations as per her discretion.
Speaker 4: She is an independent consultant who travels across India as
Speaker 4: well as abroad, imparting her knowledge and experience at various
Speaker 4: other institutions. So the school announced to terminate the services
Speaker 4: of the curriculum consultant, declaring that they would not be
Speaker 4: inviting her for further consultations now. On the termination of
Speaker 4: services of this curriculum consultant, the chairman. While we spoke
Speaker 4: to the chairman, so he told the Indian Express that
Speaker 4: since parents had protested her role in the school's operations,
Speaker 4: it was decided to stop taking her services. He also
Speaker 4: came out and said that the school celebrates all festivals
Speaker 4: with equal fervor and all these are misinformations and rumors
Speaker 4: that are being spread among parents. So after these protests,
Speaker 4: the school also initiated the process of appointing an in
Speaker 4: charge principle as the post of the principle was lying vacant.
Speaker 1: And what happened to the original food safety investigation?
Speaker 4: Yeah, interestingly, so there was an action taken by the
Speaker 4: DOO against the school and this was against the show
Speaker 4: cause notice which was issued to them. The DEO slapped
Speaker 4: a finer Rupees ten thousand on the school under the
Speaker 4: Right to Education at two thousand and nine, and you know, interestingly,
Speaker 4: later towards the weekend, the parents came out with a
Speaker 4: message on social media that they are standing with the school,
Speaker 4: their full support for the school. So they were these
Speaker 4: kind of messages which were going out on the social
Speaker 4: media parents groups that they're supporting the school and they
Speaker 4: do not have any issue with the safety of students.
Speaker 4: And after these show cause notices the school they announced
Speaker 4: that they have changed the canteen contract. They had also
Speaker 4: suspended the canteen supervisor with the immediate effect, and kitchen
Speaker 4: and food preparation areas are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, so
Speaker 4: there was an additional food safety and quality checks being implemented,
Speaker 4: and the canteen service was also made optional and parents
Speaker 4: who want to opt out of the same, the school
Speaker 4: said they could be defunded.
Speaker 1: And in the end, we talk about a possible shift
Speaker 1: in the United States travel advisory for Kashmir. Yesterday, US
Speaker 1: Ambassador to India Sergio Gore said that Washington is open
Speaker 1: to reviewing whether the warning for American citizens traveling to
Speaker 1: the Kashmir region should be downgraded. As reported by the
Speaker 1: Unene Express is Navidritpal. Gore made the remarks after meeting
Speaker 1: jamu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Shinakar. He
Speaker 1: also described Jammu and Kashmir as an important part of
Speaker 1: India and said this was his first visit to the region.
Speaker 5: And so we will be looking at if the travel
Speaker 5: warning that is imposed, that is recommended by the United
Speaker 5: States is something that should be downgraded, because, as I
Speaker 5: said earlier, this is a beautiful area. I think a
Speaker 5: lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the
Speaker 5: beauty and the opportunity says that exists here.
Speaker 3: Thank everybody.
Speaker 1: Now, the United States periodically reviews that travel warnings it
Speaker 1: issues for its citizens. Gore said he could not make
Speaker 1: any announcement yet, but that Washington would examine whether the
Speaker 1: advisory concerning Kashmir still reflects the situation on the ground
Speaker 1: and the reason he gave was significant. Gore said the
Speaker 1: government's in New Delhi and Jamuyan Kashmir had taken what
Speaker 1: he described as important steps to make the region safer.
Speaker 1: He also pointed to Kashmir's tourism potential, saying many Americans
Speaker 1: would like to visit and experience the region. Following their meeting,
Speaker 1: Omar Abdullah said the discussion focused on India US relations,
Speaker 1: but specifically on what greater engagement with the United States
Speaker 1: could mean for Jamwan Kashmir. He also referred to what
Speaker 1: he called certain legacy issues, saying these would need to
Speaker 1: be addressed over time through discussions involving Washington, the Government
Speaker 1: of India, and the Jamyan Kashmir administration. But Abdullah was
Speaker 1: also careful to draw a boundary around that engagement. Before
Speaker 1: the meeting, He said that Jamu and Kashmir's political problems
Speaker 1: were ultimately matters to be resolved within India, and that
Speaker 1: he was not interested in taking domestic grievances to a
Speaker 1: foreign ambassador. So the significance of the meeting lies less
Speaker 1: in any immediate policy change and more in the signal
Speaker 1: being sent. If Washington eventually downgrades its travel advisory, it
Speaker 1: could be read as an acknowledgment of improved security conditions
Speaker 1: in Kashmir and could potentially encourage greater international tourism. For now, however,
Speaker 1: there has been no formal change. Gore has only said
Speaker 1: that the United States will review the advisory, while Abdullah
Speaker 1: has indicated that conversations of a broader US engagement with
Speaker 1: jam and Kashmir will continue. You were listening to Three
Speaker 1: Things by the Indian Express. Today's show was edited and
Speaker 1: mixed by Sesh Pawar and produced by Anaharikananda and me Ishasharma.
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