The 1986 policy stressed the need to make education child centered nearly two decades after the policy was approved by parliament. The school going child’s life continues to be afflicted by rote methods, and the chronic fear of doing badly in examination. The 1986 policy assumed that India would universalize elementary education before the end of the century that did not happen. Today as high a proportion as 53% of our children is eliminated by the system before class 8 that terrible figures should down the nation in embarrassment trying emergency measures. Most urgently needed pedagogic reforms related to teacher training and examinations. Institutional structures available for these two sectors need to be strengthened which means that the national council for teacher education and the various examination boards need to be given considerable academic support. Children need to be saved from the ordeal of endless entrance tests and to discourage coaching. In Tamilnadu the govt has already taken an important step towards reducing the role of coaching in children . Hopefully this step will lead to greater causes on ways to select the most creative rather than the most expensively coaching for professional courses.