Should schools in India open or not? What Nobel laureate Amartya Sen says

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has said that there is no instant solution to the debate over the opening of school campuses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking in an online discussion organised by Pratichi on Sunday, Sen said that children are suffering a lot as schools are closed but the concerns over their health cannot be ignored, said media reports.

“In America, there is an ongoing debate between two groups on the same issue. In India, there are different opinions. But what may be applicable in the east of Birbhum may not work in the west of Bankura. There cannot be a readymade reply, an instant reply at hand, the situation is not so,” Sen pointed out.

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The acclaimed economist further said that in the evaluation model in the present scenario, acquiring and sharing knowledge is more important. “Even if we put emphasis on the evaluation, we must remember it is the last thing. Acquiring and sharing knowledge comes first. There are reasons to believe that the issue should be seen from different sides and perspectives,” he said.

“When we learn something for the first time, when we first comprehend the matter….is that linked with evaluation? We have to see. Evaluation will be certainly of use, but how much and in what way? We have to see if there is a link between evaluation and real education,” Sen pointed out.

Asked about the threats to the environment, he said that the world is aware of the threats to the environment and knows the solution but is not proceeding in the right path. Discussions need to be held threadbare to find the directions to solve the crisis.

“Environment is an integral part of every work, every step taken by us,” Sen said.

Sen, whose memoir Home in the World was published in July this year, also stressed on the importance of tapping alternative energy resources such as solar and nuclear to protect the environment.

(With inputs from Agencies)