PIL filed in SC seeking common syllabus for CBSE and ICSE Boards

A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking uniform education, with common syllabus and curriculum across the country for all children aged 6-14.

The plea filed by BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay has severe directions to look into the feasibility of setting up "One Nation One Education Board" by merging the Indian Secondary Education Board Certificate and the Secondary Education Central Board.

The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, stated that the Center and states have not taken adequate steps to establish a uniform education system with a common syllabus and common curriculum in the spirit of Article 21A (free and compulsory education).

Unless the Center and the states provide value-based uniform education, the plea said, children may not be able to exercise their fundamental right under Article 21A.

"To achieve substantial socio-economic equality and justice, syllabus and curriculum must be similar in all primary schools, whether it is run by management, local body, Union or government of the state," the plea stated.

The PIL said although the instruction medium may differ depending on the official language of the state concerned, the syllabus and curriculum must be common to all children aged 6-14.

The petition sought instructions to determine the feasibility of setting up a National Education Council (on GST Council lines) or National Education Commission to implement the system.

Currently each board of education has its own syllabus and curriculum and CBSE-based entrance exams, so the prevailing system does not provide equal opportunities for all students, it said.

The plea also sought directions for establishing the feasibility of introducing a standard textbook with chapters on fundamental rights , duties, guidelines and the golden goals set out in the Preamble and forcing all children aged 6-14 throughout the country to study.

It contended that data from the last ten years can be seen that although children under the RTE Act pursue free and compulsory education, the students do not perform well compared to the CBSE affiliated convent and private schools. Accordingly, value-based uniform education with common syllabus and curriculum is the need of the day, it said.

"State board students aren't equipped to compete with CBSE affiliated school students. Even this disparity can not be removed completely but Union can set up a standardized entry system for aspirants to college and university, "the plea said.