Most Affordable IAS Coaching in India  

26 Dec 2024 : The Indian Express

Editorial 1 : Knowledge as a Shield 

Context: 20 years after Indian Ocean tsunami, India is better prepared.

 

Background: On December 26, 2004, the oceans erupted with a 9.1 magnitude earthquake below the seabed off the coastline of Indonesia, more than 2,30,000 people lost their lives as a result of the wall of water that travelled to the Aceh area of Indonesia, to the resorts along the Thailand coast, the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands and then the Indian and Sri Lankan coastlines.

Introduction: The lack of any warning system or proper education about tsunamis was evident as people were caught by surprise when the high waves flooded coastlines around the Indian Ocean basin, making it one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory.

 

Delay in Detecting and Lack of Preparedness

  • The tsunami struck the A&N Islands within 20 minutes of the undersea earthquake and travelled 1,200 km to Chennai and Sri Lanka in just two hours.
  • Communication Gap
    • An early warning (EW) system could have warned the Indian and Sri Lankan coastlines of the approaching waves.
    • India’s seismic monitoring network was limited, and the country relied heavily on international seismic data. This led to a delay in detecting the earthquake and issuing a tsunami warning.
    • Although the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) Hyderabad had a tsunami detection system in place, it was not designed to detect tsunamis triggered by distant earthquakes. The system relied on seismic data and could not detect tsunami waves in real time.
  • Knowledge and Information Gaps: Little was known about how a tsunami manifests along a coastline.

 

Post Tsunami: Knowledge exchange event

  • Organised by Headquarters Andaman and Nicobar Command (HQ ANC), the event paid tribute to tsunami victims and emphasized disaster management.
  • It was attended by service officers from 10 Indian Ocean Region countries.
  • It addressed themes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) alongside strategic security.
  • It focused on:
    • Technical Knowledge Exchange: Discussions on disaster management and EWS improvements.
    • Survivor Accounts: Personal stories, such as Meghana Rajashekhar’s survival experience, highlighted the human impact of the tragedy.
    • Geopolitical and Strategic Context: Included insights on the security environment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

 

Development of Disaster Management Systems Post-2004

  • Disaster Management Act of India was enacted a year after the tsunami.
  • Government established the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) at (INCOIS), Hyderabad and it has been operational since October 2007.
    • It comprises a real-time seismic monitoring and sea-level network.
    • The ITEWC is capable of detecting tsunamigenic earthquakes occurring in the Indian Ocean as well as in global oceans within 10 minutes of their occurrence and disseminates advisories to the concerned authorities.
    • It provides tsunami-related and sea surge-based information to 26 countries as part of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) framework.
  • Odisha’s Case Study
    • Odisha has made significant progress in preparing its coastal villages for tsunami threats.
    • Currently, 24 coastal villages in Odisha have been recognised as tsunami ready.
    • It implies a certain threshold in preparedness to include response and evacuation plans, mock exercises, and community awareness with signages indicating escape routes.
    • Odisha is working towards extending this to all coastal villages.

 

Advancements in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

  • Key Features of DRR
    • Early Warning (EW) systems integrated with the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).
    • GIS-based risk mapping for better prediction and response.
    • Development of a modern cell broadcast system for rapid information dissemination.
    • Inclusion of diverse hazards beyond tsunamis, such as cyclones, lightning, and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).
  • Prime Minister’s Ten-Point Agenda on DRR: Focus on early warning systems and emphasis on improving communication and risk assessment mechanisms.
  • Dweep Diksha Dialogue: It is an annual event of HQ ANC which highlights the current and future state of DRR in India.

 

Conclusion and Way Forward

  • DRR is being discussed professionally and more often by India’s armed forces is one of the most heartening developments since the disaster.
  • For this, both the political and military leadership need to be credited.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is supporting this knowledge quest in earnest for a disaster-resilient India.

Editorial 2 : Eliminate Demotivate

Context: No Detention Policy: Scrapping it will aggravate problems

 

Introduction: The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, introduced the No Detention Policy (NDP), a revolutionary step aimed at addressing the humiliation and consequences of failure for students up to Class VIII. After 15 years, the NDP is being gradually dismantled, with the reintroduction of detention in Classes V and VIII from the next academic year.

 

No Detention Policy (NDP)

  • Objective: To ensure that no student is held back or fails until Class VIII to reduce school dropouts and encourage continuous learning.
  • Premise: Detention was identified as a significant reason for high dropout rates, which stood at 42.5% for Classes I to VIII when the RTE was introduced.
    • Dropout rates were even higher among marginalised groups: 51.2% for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 56.8% for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
  • Implementation: Students who failed were to be given special care and attention by teachers to help them achieve learning outcomes.

 

End of NDP

  • Amendment to the RTE (2019): It allowed states to decide on detention policies, diluting the core principle of NDP.
  • Reintroduction of Detention (2024)
    • From the next academic year, students in Classes V and VIII will be detained based on their performance.
    • The justification for this move comes from concerns over poor learning outcomes.
  • Dropout Risks with Detention: Reintroducing detention may increase dropout rates, particularly among students from marginalised communities and dampen students' interest in education, as highlighted by the Ministry of Education's observation on students’ inability to cope up with studies.

 

Challenges

  • Poor Learning Outcomes
    • The 2023 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) revealed that only 25% of students aged 14-18 could fluently read a Class II-level text.
    • This indicates that despite promotion to higher classes, students are not achieving the necessary learning levels.
  • Lack of Teacher Resources
    • Government schools face a shortage of 8.4 lakh teachers, leading to overburdened staff unable to provide the “special care” mandated by the RTE.
    • Teachers often struggle to address even basic needs, let alone provide remedial education.

 

Contradictions with National Education Policy (NEP)

  • NEP’s Vision: It emphasises innovative education, universal access, and inclusivity, which conflict with the punitive nature of detention.
  • The policy of elimination through detention undermines the broader goals of creating equitable and inclusive learning environments.

 

Conclusion and Way Forward

  • The lack of adequate resources and persistent poor learning outcomes undermined NDP’s effectiveness.
  • The reintroduction of detention may address the issue of learning deficits but risks increasing dropout rates and alienating marginalised communities.
  • To truly improve educational outcomes, the government must focus on addressing teacher shortages, improving infrastructure, and providing robust remedial programs.
  • Aligning educational reforms with the inclusive vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) is essential for building a sustainable and equitable education system.