What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1 : AI Future Starts in School

Context: AI literacy    

Introduction: AI as a Global Imperative

• AI is a transformative technology impacting productivity, economies, and individual lives.
• AI literacy ensures nations remain competitive.
• India must prioritize it to leverage its tech-savvy youth.

 

What is AI Literacy?

• Core Components
  1. Tool Fluency: Ability to harness AI to improve lives, akin to using a calculator or pencil.
  2. National Literacy Goal: Universal access to AI tools and understanding their application in real-world contexts.
• Key Objective: Shift focus from debating the need for AI literacy to designing actionable frameworks.

 

Challenges in Curriculum Design

• Risk of Obsolescence: Rapid AI evolution makes specific tools/features outdated quickly.
• Solution: Focus on universal thinking skills (e.g. adaptability, critical analysis) over static content.

 

Core Skills for AI Literacy

• 4 Cs
  1. Communication: Crafting structured prompts and asking focused questions to guide AI effectively.
  2. Collaboration: Strategic integration of AI into workflows (e.g. breaking tasks into steps, selecting tools).
  3. Critical Thinking
     • Evaluating outputs for hallucinations, bias, reliability, and ethics.
     • Knowing when to re-prompt or abandon AI for alternative solutions.
  4. Creativity: Innovating new use cases and building custom AI solutions.
• Foundational Knowledge: Deep domain expertise remains vital to ask better questions and assess AI outputs.

 

Implementation Strategies

• Curriculum Structure
  1. Level 1 (All Students): Basics of AI along with creating simple apps via prompts (e.g. wrapper apps on LLMs).
  2. Level 2 (Intermediate): Building agentic workflows (AI agents collaborating to solve tasks).
  3. Level 3 (Advanced): Foundational coding, Machine Learning (ML), and entrepreneurship for AI careers.
• Classroom Approach
  1. Early Exposure: Introduce AI as early as Grade 4–6.
  2. Student-Centred Learning
     • Teachers act as facilitators.
     • Use project-based learning, case studies, and collaborative app development.
  3. Portfolios: Students document AI solutions on personal webpages for real-world impact.
• Teacher’s Role
  1. Move from lecturing to co-creating.
  2. Leverage curated videos, peer discussions, and iterative problem-solving.

 

Way Forward and Conclusion

• Integration into Education Fabric: Treat AI literacy as foundational as math or language, not an optional add-on.
• Prioritize scalable, skill-based AI education to empower India’s natively tech-savvy, inherently creative youth.
• Shift focus from building machines to teaching students how to think with AI.

 

Editorial 2 : Well Judged

Context: Supreme Court’s decision to make judges’ assets public.    

 

Introduction: The Supreme Court (SC) unanimously resolved to publicly disclose judges’ assets in a full court meeting on April 1. The decision prioritizes transparency and openness and comes amid allegations of financial misconduct against sitting judges.

 

Historical Context

• 1997 Code of Ethics
  1. The SC first resolved to publicly disclose judges’ assets through the Restatement of Values of Judicial Life.
  2. Objective: To uphold ethical standards and public trust in the judiciary.
• 2009 Delhi High Court Ruling
  1. Delhi HC upheld disclosure of judges’ assets under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
  2. Key Argument: Judges must adhere to the standards they enforce.
• 2015 NJAC Judgement: The Supreme Court struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) but acknowledged the need for judicial accountability mechanisms.

 

Current Challenges in Judicial Accountability

• Recent Controversies
  1. Justice Yashwant Varma (Delhi HC): Allegations of unaccounted cash found at his official residence.
  2. Justice Shekhar Yadav (Allahabad HC): Accusations of partisan bias and prejudice.
• Institutional Limitations
  1. Impeachment Process: Constitutionally mandated but requires political consensus, making it impractical.
  2. In-House Inquiries: Sole discretion of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), whose tenure is increasingly short.
  3. Informal Solutions like transfers or withdrawal of judicial work are criticized as inadequate and non-transparent.

 

Way Forward

• Need for Framework
  1. Internal Mechanisms: Accountability must originate within the judiciary to preserve independence.
  2. Public Trust: Asset declaration is a step forward, but broader reforms are needed.
• Recommendations
  1. Formalize in-house inquiry processes to ensure impartiality.
  2. Develop transparent criteria for judicial transfers and appointments.
  3. Strengthen ethical guidelines and enforce compliance.

 

Conclusion: While the Supreme Court’s move to disclose assets is commendable, sustained efforts are required to institutionalize accountability without compromising judicial autonomy. The judiciary’s credibility hinges on balancing transparency with independence.