Rashmi bhumireddy
Hyderabad
The National Education Policy (NEP) introduced by the Centre in 2020 received mixed responses across the country.
In Telangana, most educational institutions and organisations including the government oppose the policy.
The Telangana Minister for Education, Sabitha Indra Reddy said, “As the Centre is not committed to implementing the NEP we will not implement it.”
Speaking to ‘The Pioneer’ correspondent, M. Ravindar, the Additional General Secretary of the Telangana Progressive Teachers Federation (TPTF) said that NEP 2020 goes against the Constitution as it overrides the rights of state governments to make important decisions in the field of education. Under NEP states cannot have full control over curriculum and administration. It also repeats the long discarded idea of the ancient golden age propagated by colonial Indologists ignoring caste and gender discrimination. It also promotes superstitions and discourages scientific temper among students.
He said that the NEP goes against the Constitution as it violates the fundamental right to equality by providing substandard educational provisions such as school complexes, single-teacher schools, home-based education, two-level courses and exams, one-way digital education through the E-vidya Programme, open schooling etc., for 85 per cent to 90 per cent of the population.
On why the Telangana government has not implemented the NEP Ravinder said, “There is no specific reason for this. The Telangana government did not focus on issues in education. There are many unsolved problems in education like the regulation of promotions to establish proper staff patterns so as to strengthen teaching and supervision in the department.”
He said that the policy does not guarantee the right to education and no proper teaching staff. For Teachers, it does not provide in-service training. It doesn’t allow unions to take up the problems of teachers.
In the name of school complexes, teachers’ services may be used in any place in a radius of 5 to 10 km even across difficult terrains. A tenure track system will be introduced to promote and this may lead to the contract system. Seniority will no longer be considered for promotions.
In the case of students, he said that around 85 per cent of students will be pushed by NEP out of equitable quality education and will relegate them to substandard education. Ultimately they will be pushed towards lowly paid child labour or family occupations. Students will lose the Constitutional provision of reservations in education for ensuring social justice.
