Hello Mohit. As usual a thought provoking article. How do we get out of this indifference? How do we organize ourselves to improve our lot? Any role models in India, that can be adopted wildly? What should each one of us do differently? Thanks, once again.
States that are not indifferent (Guj, Maha other southern states), where people care about communities and organize are the states that progress. In the Northern states, especially the Gangetic belt, it is everyone for himself (and their families). "How dare you tell me to not litter, why don't you mind your own business" is a standard response. This response can be modified based on the relative money/power/social stature of the challenger.
Your post on India's PISA avoidance hits the nail on the head, Mohit, but I wonder if "indifference" fully captures what's happening. Looking at how the recent ASER report has been framed and celebrated in media, it seems we've gone beyond indifference to active celebration of mediocrity.
When only 23.4% of government school third-graders can read a second-grade text (compared to 35.5% in private schools), why are headlines trumpeting a "recovery"? It's like applauding someone for climbing from the basement to the ground floor while ignoring that the building has ten stories.
This isn't just about skipping international tests—it's about the selective reading of our own educational data. In analyzing the ASER 2024 report recently, I noticed how narratives can transform concerning statistics into success stories through careful framing. Private school advantages are dismissed as "self-selection," while other factors like the significant rise in private tuitions among government school students (from 24.6% in 2018 to 30.4% in 2024) get minimal attention.
Perhaps our national response isn't indifference after all—it's a strange form of self-congratulation that keeps us comfortable with the status quo. When improvement from abysmal to merely poor becomes cause for celebration, why bother with fundamental reform?
Here is more on this curious phenomenon of educational narrative-crafting here:
Hello Mohit. As usual a thought provoking article. How do we get out of this indifference? How do we organize ourselves to improve our lot? Any role models in India, that can be adopted wildly? What should each one of us do differently? Thanks, once again.
Think local, act local. Do what you can to bring people together and act in common interest.
We don't all have to change things at the national level, but we can effect change around us.
States that are not indifferent (Guj, Maha other southern states), where people care about communities and organize are the states that progress. In the Northern states, especially the Gangetic belt, it is everyone for himself (and their families). "How dare you tell me to not litter, why don't you mind your own business" is a standard response. This response can be modified based on the relative money/power/social stature of the challenger.
This is true - with many variations.
As long as the stock market was booming, we could somehow overlook all the flaws in our environment. Now it hurts bad
Your post on India's PISA avoidance hits the nail on the head, Mohit, but I wonder if "indifference" fully captures what's happening. Looking at how the recent ASER report has been framed and celebrated in media, it seems we've gone beyond indifference to active celebration of mediocrity.
When only 23.4% of government school third-graders can read a second-grade text (compared to 35.5% in private schools), why are headlines trumpeting a "recovery"? It's like applauding someone for climbing from the basement to the ground floor while ignoring that the building has ten stories.
This isn't just about skipping international tests—it's about the selective reading of our own educational data. In analyzing the ASER 2024 report recently, I noticed how narratives can transform concerning statistics into success stories through careful framing. Private school advantages are dismissed as "self-selection," while other factors like the significant rise in private tuitions among government school students (from 24.6% in 2018 to 30.4% in 2024) get minimal attention.
Perhaps our national response isn't indifference after all—it's a strange form of self-congratulation that keeps us comfortable with the status quo. When improvement from abysmal to merely poor becomes cause for celebration, why bother with fundamental reform?
Here is more on this curious phenomenon of educational narrative-crafting here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/speaktoprashant/p/decoding-aser-2024?r=1gi5hu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Prashant,
This is a very revealing comment by you, and merits a piece of its own. Thanks.
Yes, we have become so insecure that we celebrate the smallest step like it is a global accomplishment.
'Indifference' is the common factor that allows us to carry on with our mediocrity, without doing anything to push for change.