Pandemic has deepened inequality in education: Nobel laureate

He was delivering the inaugural Manoj Srivastava memorial lecture. Manoj Srivastava, a senior IAS officer and a widely acclaimed academic, passed away last year.

Nobel laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee on Thursday said the biggest worry due to a Covid-19 pandemic is the widening gap of inequality in education, as online learning exposure as well as Internet penetration continue to be extremely low, more so in a state like Bihar.

Nobel laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee (HT File)

He was delivering the inaugural Manoj Srivastava memorial lecture.

Manoj Srivastava, a senior IAS officer and a widely acclaimed academic, passed away last year.

“Even during normal times, attendance in government schools remains a concern, hovering around 50% mark in most states, which results in poor learning outcome of students, as reflected through Annual Status of Education Report (ASER). Around 50% students in Class 5 cannot even do class 2 mathematics. This should frighten us. The pandemic has dealt another blow. The challenge for the country is to undo the widening gap of inequality in education, which has grown wider during pandemic,” he said.

Recalling his association with the late IAS officer, Banerjee said the notion that private schools are better off was also misplaced. “We are a victim of tyranny of curriculum. Instead of teaching what the curriculum dictates, we should teach what the students need, as one class has students of different levels of understanding. It needs patience. The system is structured in such a way that it does not give opportunity to all. We must get out of the system of education developed for the colonial regime. It cannot be for the elite only,” he said.

Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha dwelt on his old association with Srivastava and how the officer, due to his easy accessibility, nature to challenge hierarchy and desire to work for the masses and basic issues, had an impact on him. “With a whole spectrum of people here, one can easily get a feel of the imprint the officer has left,” he said.

CPI-ML general secretary Deepankar Bhattacharya recalled how his party leadership, inspired by the work and approach of young Srivastava as Bhojpur district magistrate, sent him to the officer’s house with a request if he would like to contest election.

Former union minister Akhilesh Prasad Singh of the Congress said he was always in touch with Srivastava for valuable advice on complex issues.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Asian Development Bank vice-opresident and former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa, Bihar chief secretary Tripurari Sharan, Srivastava’s son Sagar Srivastava, who is an Indian Revenue Service officer, and several others.