Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The New Education Policy (NEP), 2020 evoked mixed reactions in Assam with the ruling BJP welcoming it and the CPI, LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) and SFI (Student Federation of India) opposing the announcement.
State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass heartily welcomed the announcement of the New Education Policy. He lauded the efforts of the Prime Minister in steering the policy document, which, according to him, will usher in a new era in education in the country's future. "The policy marks a break from the Colonial mindset of the policy framers where English education and the elite sections of the society took precedence. The policy will mark a combination of the modern and traditional systems of education, giving stress on the mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction in the formative years. The education process has been structured to ensure that the focus of education is more tilted towards creative and involved learning than just going through the examination process of evaluation," Dass said, and added, "This will ensure that the student gets the required education at a level, before going in to the next stage. The rigidity of the options of choosing subjects of study, limited to the broad stream of arts, science or commerce, in the undergraduate level, will now be made flexible. This will allow students to choose subjects of their choice, not only making education holistic but also more a enjoyable intellectual experience. This choice will promote fundamental research in the later stage, adding to the intellectual power of the country, in its road to becoming a world power."
Dass said that the option of livelihood education will add to the best use of human resources of the country. "Learning a skill at an early age will provide the skilled manpower required for rapid industrialization of the country and promote the Prime Minister's dream of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
"Increase in budgetary allocation towards education is a landmark step, showing the government's concern in spreading higher and vocational education in the country and adding both quality and quantity to the efforts. It will pave the way for a Saksham Bharat as envisaged by the Prime Minister. The Common National Entrance Test for admission to colleges and universities the country will make students of the State work harder to face national competition, thereby bringing us to national standards and fit to compete in national level examinations at a later stage."
Meanwhile the Assam State Council of the CPI has opposed the New Education Policy, 2020 announced by the Government at the Centre on Wednesday.
In a statement issued to the media on Thursday, the party's State secretary Mumin Mahanta said, "Education is a subject of both the Centre and the States. However, how come the Centre announces such an important policy without taking the States into confidence and ignoring the opposition to the policy from a few states? Such a move will clash with the Constitution of the country. Taking the policy prepared by the Union Cabinet without placing it for discussion in the Parliament is blithe disregard to the august House. The New Education Policy seeks to safronization, centralization and privatization of education. Allowing foreign universities to operate in India is set to make higher education costly and not a cup of tea for the common people."
The SFI (Students' Federation of India) has said that the Central government has turned the pandemic into a golden opportunity to implement all its anti-people policies. "The passage of the NEP 2020 has become the latest example of this. Massive protests and criticism from across the country had erupted over the draft of the new education policy. The anti-democratic nature of its content, its centralized nature and its recommendations for radical privatization were all questioned. People from various walks of life demanded that such an education policy not be implemented and that more extensive discussions and consultations be held. We know that Education is in the Concurrent List of Indian Constitution. But bypassing all the objections and opposition recorded by various State governments, the Central government to impose a new national; education policy unilaterally. Any such policies should have been discussed in the Parliament. This was assured by the government earlier. As per norm, draft should be placed on the table of the Houses with a statutory time limit within which Members of Parliament can move amendments or give opinions. But the Parliament has been completely bypassed.
"In 2019, on the draft of New Education Policy suggestions and opinions were put forwarded by intellectuals, the teaching community and the students. Student organizations, including the SFI gave their opinions but none of these have been considered. The Union Cabinet has taken advantage of the Pandemic situation and passed the new education policy.
The SFI Assam State Committee expressed strong resentment and protested the move to implement the new education policy. The SFI registered its protest by in twitter by tending '#REJECTNEP2020' Keeping physical distance, SFI activists will organize protests across the nation.
The newly formed LDP has said that the Central government has approved the draft of the new Education Policy to revamp education, as prepared by a committee led by K Kasturirangan, Former Chairman, ISRO. "Although some of the proposals announced by the Central government are welcome, yet it is clear that this new policy will negatively impact the education system in India. Moreover, this announcement also makes it clear that this decision has been taken in a biased manner, as the Centre did not pay heed to the various objections raised by different states in this regard.
"The government has started the commercialization of education by granting permission to more than 100 foreign universities to set up their campuses in the country. It is regrettable that the government is bent upon commercialization of education at a time when it should have focused on welfare and equality of the people through nationalization of education and making it available to all. It is indeed unfortunate that in a populous and developing country like India, where half the population is poor, the government is commercializing education, instead of building up public health and education for general welfare. Moreover, this decision will diminish the importance of the country's universities. Also, instead of highlighting regional and local languages in higher education, Sanskrit has been given prominence. This can in no way be accepted," the party said.
Expressing concern over the new Education Policy, LDP general secretary Partha Protim Bezbaruah commented that this biased decision of the government would promote inequality and class division in the field of education in the country.
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