The Pandemic and the Policy Priorities We Missed

Written in January 2021, as Tamil Nadu reopened schools ahead of board exams during the pandemic, this piece argues that the real crisis wasn't logistics — it was priorities. Governments chose to restore exam schedules rather than use the disruption to fix deeper structural problems: high-stakes standardised testing, inequity between government and private schools, and a system that consistently fails its most marginalised students.

The pandemic was an opportunity to rethink. We passed on it.

Originally published in The News Minute, January 2021.

Full Article here :https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/will-reopening-schools-really-help-government-what-it-s-trying-achieve-142391