Ict (information communication technology)-enabled school education in the western sea-board state of Gujarat (pop. 65 million), projected by the propaganda machine of the BJP as India’s model state because Narendra Modi served there as chief minister for almost three successive terms (2001-2014) before he was catapulted  to the prime minister’s office following the BJP’s huge victory in General Election 2014, seems synonymous with examinations vigilance.

R.R.Varsani, chairman of the Gujarat Secondary & Higher Secondary Examination Board (GSHSEB), takes considerable pride in stating that the 1.6 million students who wrote GSHSEB’s class X and XII exams in 812 centres in end March were covered by CCTV. “The results of the surveillance mounted by the board is a cause for satisfaction. A record 620 cases of cheating have been detected against only 135 last year. Fifty cases of malpractice were detected by the central control room monitoring feeds coming in from all examination centres throughout the state,” he says.

But, even as the state government has been trumpeting its advanced exams invigilation technology, some other information leakages are proving embarrassing for the state’s BJP government led by Anandiben Patel — the first woman chief minister of the state — hand-picked by Narendra Modi, prior to his departure for Delhi a year ago.

According to official data, 201 government schools have closed down statewide in the years 2010-14 mainly due to continuous flight of students from Gujarati-medium government schools. On the other hand, in 2,561 schools in four districts of Gujarat, students of different grades are obliged to share common classrooms. Children in these schools suffer not only because of inadequate infrastructure but also due to a severe teachers shortage. For the past year, the posts of 1,717 primary and 842 high school and higher secondary school teachers in Banaskantha district have been vacant.

Meanwhile, on March 2, the Gujarat high court struck down the appointment of 1,200 teachers selected for secondary and higher secondary schools because the final merit list had “procedural flaws”.

Quite clearly, despite the loud proclamations of the BJP propaganda machine, all is not well in Gujarat’s school education system. The achche din (‘good days’) the prime minister has promised the country are still awaited in Gujarat, reportedly shaped by him into the country’s model state during his 14-year tenure as chief minister.

R.K. Mishra (Gandhinagar)