Passage

Directions for the following 4 (four) items : Read the following passage and answer the four items that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passage only. Passage It is no longer enough for us to talk about providing for universal access to education. Making available schooling facilities is an essential prerequisite, but is insufficient to ensure that all children attend school and participate in the learning process. The school may be there, but children may not attend or they may drop out after a few months. Through school and social mapping, we must address the entire gamut of social, economic, cultural and indeed linguistic and pedagogic issues, factors that prevent children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups, as also girls, from regularly attending and complementing elementary education. The focus must be on the poorest and most vulnerable since these groups are the most disempowered and at the greatest risk of violation or denial of their right to education. The right to education goes beyond free and compulsory education to include quality education for all. Quality is an integral part of the right to education. If the education process lacks quality, children are being denied their right. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act lays down that the curriculum should provide for learning through activities, exploration and discovery. This places an obligation on us to change our perception of children as passive receivers of knowledge, and to move beyond the convention of using textbooks as the basis of examinations. The teaching-learning process must become stress-free; and a massive programme for curricular reform should be initiated to provide for a child-friendly learning system, that is more relevant and empowering. Teacher

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : 1. The Right to Education guarantees teachers' accountability for the learning process of children. 2. The Right to Education guarantees 100% enrolment of children in the schools. 3. The Right to Education intends to take full advantage of demographic dividend. Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

(a) 1 only ✓ UPSC's answer
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Why the answer is (a)

• The passage explicitly states that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act lays down that the curriculum should provide for learning through activities, exploration, and discovery, which implies a shift in the teaching-learning process and places obligations on educators, supporting the assumption of teacher accountability for the learning process.

• The passage argues that making schooling facilities available is insufficient to ensure attendance and that children may drop out, indicating that the Right to Education does not guarantee 100% enrolment, thus invalidating assumption 2.

• The text focuses on social, economic, and pedagogic issues affecting disadvantaged groups and the quality of education, but it does not mention the demographic dividend or any intent to leverage it, invalidating assumption 3.

• Therefore, only assumption 1 is valid based on the provided text.

Why the other options are wrong

(b) 2 and 3 only: Assumption 2 is invalid because the passage states that providing facilities is insufficient to ensure attendance, and assumption 3 is invalid as the demographic dividend is not mentioned.
(c) 3 only: Assumption 3 is invalid because the passage does not discuss the demographic dividend, focusing instead on social, economic, and pedagogic barriers to education.
(d) 1, 2 and 3: Assumptions 2 and 3 are invalid because the passage does not guarantee 100% enrolment nor does it mention the demographic dividend.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2018, held on 3 June 2018. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.