As part of the countrywide holding of deliberations, discussions and raising of reservations on the new National Education Policy, a team of National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA) of India and educationists visited Jammu and Kashmir.
The team discussed the situation with eminent educationists, academicians and stakeholders in the state prominent among them being Private Schools’ Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK). Both sides have raised their reservations on certain points in the NEP and agreed that if the policy is implemented in Toto in the country, it will lead to destruction of vibrant education sector, Jammu and Kashmir being no exception.
In a press conference on Wednesday, addressed by Dr Kulbubshan Sharma, President NISA, Thomas Antony, eminent educationist and G N Var, chairman PSAJK, some of the points raised were a) NEP is a voluminous document aimed to confuse a common person. An ideal policy document should be around 20 - 30 pages so that it is easily understood by common people and experts alike, but the NEP 2016 is a huge 498-page document. It looks like a discussion rather than a concrete policy, b) Give stakeholders more time to discuss and react on it. We demand that the political party should make it part of their election manifesto as the policy concerns entire India.
They said that the document has many pages which have been copy pasted from a website in Gujarat. But education is unique to every place and one cannot brush everyone in same colour. Education has unique requirements everywhere. Instead of being personalised, the education sector is being centralised, d) The policy says that the education sector will have Rashtriya Shiksha Ayog (RSA), which will be headed by Prime Minister. Then what is the role of MHRD or education department. It is equal to destroying entire educational governance infrastructure all over India. They should define the role of other institutions if everything will be controlled by PM headed RSA, e) They have B.Ed integrated course after 12th. Then there is teacher eligibility test. If there is B.Ed then why is TET. It is major flaw in the policy. Does it mean that earlier courses like B.Ed is not up to the mark? It is like asking a doctor who has passed entrance and completed MBBS course, to again appear for another test to become doctor.
“There is no sufficient addressing of the crucial issues such as gender, caste and the environment in the draft. Human rights and constitutional rights issues are grossly excluded and Sanskrit and Yoga are projected beyond all reasonable proportions right from school education. As per the draft, Hindu religious dogmas and Varnasramadharma should be injected into young minds in the guise of moral education in schools,” they said.