Inaugural Session

The EQFI launch was held at the India International Center, Lodhi Road on October 13 2008. The Chief Guest for the event was the Honourable Vice President of India, Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari and the key note address was delivered by Prof. Krishna Kumar, Director NCERT. The audience comprised of luminaries from the field of education both private and government.

The inaugural session began with the welcome address by Dr. Anjlee Prakash, Chairperson, EQFI. In her address she spoke of her association with education for the past two decades and how this passion for education made her and others like her get together and think about quality in school education. That was the beginning of Education Quality Foundation of India.

Mrs. Meera Balachandran, Director EQFI, spoke about the work done by EQFI and the research that has gone into developing the Quality Assurance Document. Some of the other initiatives taken up by EQFI have been, Assessment of the Navodaya Vidyalayas, Staff Appraisals of the Deepalaya Schools and the assessment of the Michael Susan Dell Foundation project in Hyderabad.

The Honourable Vice President of India, Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari, released the report on the research study undertaken by EQFI “Excellence in School – An EQFI study on Quality”.

The Honourable Vice president of India, Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari in his address on “Commitment to Equity and Excellence in Education” raised the issue of a large number of illiterate adults and children out of school as serious areas of concern for us. He expressed the view that it is a matter of concern that budgetary outlays are not being transferred into education outputs. He quoted the Knowledge Commission as stating that school education is highly segmented and it is almost imperative for a national body to monitor the quality of both government and private schools to ensure that the minimum standards are met in terms of learning outcomes. He appreciated the initiatives taken by EQFI and stated that we need to look at quantifiable performance criteria and the whole concept of quality must be demystified.

Prof. Krishna Kumar in his key note address on “Quality Imperatives in School Education” raised issues on equity and quality. He stated that quality as a dimension of education is definitely not a new concept and has been prevalent from the time that Dewey spoke of Democracy and Education. He focuesed on the issue of social responsibility and the need to address diversity in classroom, which has also been proved in the most advanced countries of the world, as pedagogically sound and challenging to the teacher. He categorically condemned the use of CCTV’s in schools as this raised the question of trust and respect for the teacher and the taught. He concluded by wishing EQFI success in all its endeavours as it was beginning it’s task in a challenging evvironment, where today we find even the simple values of punctuality and discipline not being implemented.

Ms. Anuradha Sen, Academic Director EQFI, shared the findings of the research study and reemphasized the query ‘as visionary leaders/schools are we aware of the changes in the world around us?’ The study gave an insight on how quality is perceived in schools, and some relevant and pertinent findings have emerged. Sharing an example with respect to staff development, findings show that 95% of the respondents conduct workshops for their staff, which is commendable, but only 35% have clearly formulated policies regarding this, clearly revealing that most training is conducted in an adhoc manner.

Prof. M. A. Siddiqui, Chairperson, National Council of Teacher Education, emphasized that today equity in education also implied quality in education - quality education for all. He also spoke of the need for quality in teacher education at all levels.

Dr. Shyama Chona, Principal, Delhi Public School R. K. Puram, spoke on the need to have quality teaching and teachers at all schools. She also emphasized the need to have caring teachers and the importance of the “heart” in teaching.

Mr. Samphe Lallungpa, Chief ECP UNICEF, expressed his belief that this is the right time to work in broad coalitions. He shared the work done by UNICEF and cited the example of Bundelkhand where quality interventions had impacted public systems in education. Most children in schools face multigrade, multilevel classes and there is a need to engage with teachers.