Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti slams use of teachers for caste census
In a strongly worded letter to the State Government, Horatti expressed deep anguish over the declining quality of school education, blaming systemic flaws and the overburdening of teachers with non-academic duties as the key reasons. He opposed the government's move to deploy school teachers, especially those from primary and high schools, for the upcoming caste census, warning that such practices will harm students' academic foundation.
Referring to a study conducted in Yadgir district under the Education Department's foundational literacy and numeracy initiative, Horatti said it was shocking to discover that many SSLC students still lacked basic skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. He stressed that the failure to build foundational literacy in primary school is a serious indictment of the current system and demanded accountability.
'When SSLC students do not know Kannada or English alphabet and cannot even perform basic addition or subtraction, we must ask, who is responsible?' Horatti said, adding that teachers are unable to focus on teaching due to being repeatedly pulled into non-teaching roles such as surveys, census work, and election duties. 'Teachers are made to handle caste surveys, flood assessments, child enumeration, polling officer duties and more. With all this, when can they actually teach?' he asked.
Calling it a violation of the spirit of Article 21 A of the Constitution, which guarantees free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14, Horatti urged the government to relieve teachers of non-academic duties immediately.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
11 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Keralite nuns' arrest: KPCC takes out protest march to Raj Bhavan
The Governor should convey to the Centre about the public outrage in Kerala over the arrest and imprisonment of two Keralite nuns by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Chhattisgarh, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and MLA Sunny Joseph said. Addressing a march organised by the KPCC to Raj Bhavan on Wednesday to protest against the arrest and the unconstitutional actions of the BJP administration in Chhattisgarh, Mr. Joseph pointed out that the Chhattisgarh government had foisted false charges against the nuns and had manipulated the first information report (FIR) by adding non-existent legal clauses, thus denying them bail. He said that the BJP was challenging the rule of law and it was shameful that the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh was justifying its action against the nuns, which was a violation of the civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Inaugurating the march, the Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the Kerala Chief Minister should not waste any time in informing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister the State's strong protest against the unfounded action against the nuns . He said the Chhattisgarh government had been unfair in imprisoning the nuns who were engaged in humanitarian work. The Sangh Parivar's hallmark was intolerance. Instigating people and communities to fight against each other over religious freedom and rights was how the BJP was playing the people of Kerala, Mr. Satheesan said. An example He said the incident in Chhattisgarh was a stark example of the fate that awaited the minorities and the marginalised wherever the Congress was out of power The incident has tarnished the nation's secular image on the international front, he pointed out. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala spoke about the anxiety and insecurities faced by the religious minorities in the country today. The arrest of the nuns who were engaged in humanitarian activities amongst the poor and marginalised in Chhattisgarh was a joint attempt by the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to unleash a communal riot, he said. Mr. Modi, who makes a song and dance about greeting Christians on the occasion of Christmas, has been silent about the atrocities that were being committed against the Christians by the BJP's feeder organisations, Mr. Chennithala added. AICC general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi, KPCC working president P.C. Vishnunath, acting president of Thiruvananthapuram DCC N. Sakthan and senior Congress leaders M.M. Hassan, V.M. Sudheeran, K. Muraleedharan, among others, spoke
Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Where BJP and Congress agree, and where they differ
Written by Abhishek Priyadarshi and Ajit Phadnis State elections have traditionally revolved around local issues, but are we now seeing national political faultlines play out at the state level? As Bihar gears up for its state elections, national parties and their alliance partners have begun to set the tone. If the past saw national elections influenced by regional agendas, it appears today that state elections are echoing themes of national politics. To explore this pattern, we draw on a framework developed in our recent article in the Economic and Political Weekly. We examine how the BJP and Congress differ in the emphasis and positions on different issues, based on the analysis of election manifestos from the last four national elections (2009–2024). Let us begin with those issues for which both parties give similar emphasis and share similar positions. Both the BJP and Congress embrace a market-oriented approach to economic growth. Their framing emphasises liberalisation and private investment as engines of development. At the same time, both parties acknowledge the need for state-supported welfare through schemes for housing, water, healthcare and rural development. This shows that welfare is not an ideological battleground between the parties, but a shared vocabulary. On other issues, both parties give similar emphasis but have different positions, such as the historical narrative and sustainability. The BJP positions history as a civilisational continuum interrupted by foreign rule, calling for a historical reorientation rooted in ancient cultural consciousness. Meanwhile, Congress roots its historical narrative in the freedom struggle and the Constitution. Congress frames environmental issues as linked to social justice and livelihoods (forest rights, ecological protection), while the BJP aligns environmental issues with resource management and technological advancement (green energy, circular economy). There are some issues where the BJP and Congress take similar policy positions, but differ in emphasis. BJP consistently allocates more space to infrastructure and technology as compared to Congress, reflecting its focus on projects like national highways and smart cities. Labour, however, is differently emphasised. Congress devotes more space to workers' rights and protections. Additionally, it prominently features themes like freedom and democracy, tying them with human rights, judicial accountability, and media freedom. In contrast, the BJP's engagement with these issues is less, but it puts more emphasis on law and order, national security, and administrative efficiency. From anti-terror mechanisms to NRC and police modernisation, its promises reflect a state-led idea of governance. For select issues, the parties differ both in emphasis and positions. These are social justice, culture, and minority rights. Congress routinely refers to 'discrimination,' 'prejudice,' and the structural barriers faced by disadvantaged groups. BJP describes social groups as 'marginalised' or 'historically disadvantaged' and avoids attributing social disadvantage to discrimination. It is, however, interesting that the BJP employs the term 'discrimination' while describing the disadvantages faced by women. This difference in positioning reflects two differing approaches to social justice: One that sees inequality as a consequence of structural exclusion, and another that views it as a problem that economic opportunity can solve. Cultural discourse also reveals a sharp contrast. The BJP consistently gives higher importance to culture, presenting it as an instrument of political identity rooted in Hindu civilisational themes. Congress, by contrast, presents culture through multi-cultural terms, focusing on art, heritage, and inclusion rooted in the freedom movement and constitutional values. At the outset of the Bihar election campaign, it is interesting to observe that several national-level similarities and distinctions have begun shaping the contours of the election campaign. Both alliances have rolled out a flurry of welfare promises, reflecting the convergence we observed in our framework. The NDA's positioning of free electricity — accompanied by a solar rooftop initiative — mirrors the BJP's idea of sustainability, even as both coalitions converge on welfare delivery. In Motihari, PM Modi and CM Nitish Kumar inaugurated a series of infrastructure projects — hallmarks of the BJP's growth agenda. Both parties also propose a Youth Commission and prioritise job creation. A new flashpoint is the electoral rolls revision (SIR): The BJP frames it as an issue of administrative efficiency, while Congress views it as a democratic concern, reflecting their respective areas of emphasis. The BJP's reference to Operation Sindoor, launched from Bihar, reinforces its emphasis on strong national security — an approach consistent with its national manifesto. Cultural positioning in Bihar remains a clear point of divergence. The BJP's promise of a Sita Mata Mandir demonstrates its emphasis on culture, echoed in the proposed Ramayana Circuit and the Ayodhya–Sitamarhi train to promote religious tourism. Finally, the Mahagathbandhan's opposition to the Waqf amendment law mirrors Congress's emphasis on minority rights in national politics, marking yet another site of divergence. The caste census emerges as a notable exception to the framework. Previously claimed by the Congress as part of their social justice platform, the BJP's implementation of the census signals a strategic recalibration that challenges the Congress's ownership of the issue. It will now be interesting to see how the parties develop nuanced positional differences around the caste census: Would the BJP position the caste census as a means for achieving economic justice and efficient governance, which would differ from the Congress's positioning of the caste census as an instrument for enhancing representation and reservation? The Bihar election may offer some insight into how the national discourse on the caste census is likely to unfold. Abhishek Priyadarshi is a PhD Candidate and Ajit Phadnis is a faculty with the Humanities and Social Sciences Area at the Indian Institute of Management Indore
New Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Congress party loses representation in Meghalaya assembly after its last legislator, Ronnie, joins NPP
GUWAHATI: The Congress lost all its representation in the Meghalaya Assembly on July 30 after its last legislator, Ronnie V Lyngdoh, resigned from the party and merged with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma's National People's Party (NPP). The development took the NPP's tally in the 60-member House to 33. The Congress had bagged five seats in the 2023 Assembly polls. However, three of the MLAs – Charles Marngar, Celestine Lyngdoh and Gabriel Wahlang – had joined the NPP in September 2024. The fourth, Saleng A Sangma, resigned from the House following his election to the Lok Sabha last year. Ronnie submitted a letter to Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma expressing intent to merge with the NPP. He said his decision to join the ruling party was without any precondition. He urged the chief minister to ensure the stability of the state and the development of the people. 'Despite requests since 2018, I had stuck to the Congress because I was elected on its ticket. Now, my people realised that nearly half my term has ended and we need development and stability,' he said. The speaker said he had accepted Ronnie's resignation from Congress and his merger with the NPP. 'I received his letter in which he expressed his willingness to merge with the NPP. I found it to be valid as it satisfied criteria as laid down under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution,' the speaker said.
