Supreme Court Justice BV Nagarathna flags concern over students being made to skip school to prepare for entrance exams

Supreme Court judge Justice BV Nagarathna recently flagged the practice of dummy admissions in higher school education, where students are made to prioritise entrance coaching to crack competitive exams rather than attend or learn at school..Such students are only expected to pass the 12th standard so that they are eligible to appear for competitive exams, Justice Nagarathna noted. The top court judge proceeded to question whether this was in line with the real goal of education."I was alarmed and deeply distressed to learn recently of a distasteful trend where students are admitted to some colleges/schools for 11th and 12th Standard on paper only. However, the reality is that such students are actually preparing for competitive examinations during those two crucial years and not attending a single day of class. All that is expected of them is to pass 12th standard in order to be eligible to appear for competitive exams and some colleges are facilitating such unacceptable and injurious agenda. While such candidates may ultimately secure admission into coveted universities/colleges, the question to ask is whether, the real goal of education has been achieved?" she remarked..She added that such an education system, which is centered around ranks, admissions and interviews makes citizens wonder if they have lost sight of the real objectives of education. "The aim of education should be to train independently acting and thinking individuals, who seek to serve the community. This goal of education, is compatible with the Constitutional goal of fraternity," she emphasised. .Justice Nagarathna made the observation while delivering a presidential address on the topic “Nurturing our Constitutional Culture: A High Calling for Universities”, during the twelfth convocation ceremony of OP Jindal Global University held on Monday..She began her speech by arguing that in today's times, universities are no longer part of the conversation in terms of acting as vital intermediaries between citizens and governments. "Indeed, from the earliest days of our Republic, universities were considered to be integral to the democratic project. Truly, colleges and universities are among liberal democracy’s cornerstone institutions, and they play an indispensable role in the exercise of building, maintaining, and inspiring liberal democracy. Therefore, universities must purposefully and self-consciously embrace their role as one of the stewards of our constitutional culture and liberal democracy governed by the rule of law," she said. The apex court judge stated that teachers need to cultivate the Constitutional culture in each of their students."To be transformative agents of change, teachers need to be empowered on several fronts: academic calibre, integrity and moral promise. Every teacher must therefore be, first and foremost a true statesman and patriot, whose concern for Bharat is real ... I believe that the task of a good university is not merely to test the mettle and stamina of brilliant minds but to guide them toward enlightenment, enabling thereby the most fruitful and holistic use of their students’ intelligence and humanity," she explained..She added that fraternity may perhaps be the key to deepen our democracy, and real constitutional values can be captured only by inculcating such values in children. "The seeds of respect for fraternity, equality, dignity, must be sowed in every child, at a tender age, and must be nurtured through childhood, adolescence and early adulthood ... Today, as we work to preserve peace and freedom, we should be guided by a national character that respects human dignity and values every life," she highlighted.On a parting note, Justice Nagarathna asked all the graduates present on the occasion to expand their civic knowledge base, and preserve their integrity."I hope that you do not risk valuing rhetoric over reason, party over principle and ideology over evidence ... Every one of you is a guardian of the rule of law. That is your distinctive function and it has never been more important. Every one of us is uniquely responsible for the integrity of the law, of factfinding, of truth finding— the antidotes to chaos and to the capacity of power to push aside reason, fairness and principle. That is a high calling and I hope that each one of you effectively answers that call," she said. .Judges should not snub litigants, lawyers appearing via virtual mode: Supreme Court Justice BV Nagarathna