The approval of the National Education Policy – 2020, has resulted in a much-needed debate, analysis, and critique. However, the first document that was circulated in the educationists’ and activists’ circles was not the one approved by the cabinet.
It was only later, after the demands by educationists that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (soon to be Ministry of Education) uploaded the final policy that was approved by the cabinet on the website on 30th July 2020.
Any analysis at this stage over the National Education Policy is around the 60- page document is only preliminary given that the document was released only recently. A few quick notes before we can undertake a detailed analysis of the National Education Policy is as under:
4. NEP proposes Centralization of Education System
The National Education Policy – 2020 has proposed a new set of regulatory authorities that aims to diminish states’ autonomy and power on the matters of education. It has proposed the establishment of a new Teachers’ Training Authority to regulate the teaching profession of the country. This would mean that the states cannot change the rules in accordance with their needs. This is in contradiction with the Vision of Constitution which places the subject of education under the ‘State List’.
सही आशंकाएं इस लेख में व्यक्त की गई हैं।
What is at the heart of the NEP is launching education, especially pre-primary to 12th standard as a highly profitable commodity to be controlled and managed by the digital technology giants. It is policy that furthers and intensifies privatization started by the previous regimes. Added to this is centralization of power and saffronization of Indian society. The minor changes regarding language and online mode of teaching are only tentative just to bypass resistance from politically illeterate sections of the public.