New Delhi: The National Education Policy (NEP), an ambitious and complex document, laying down a road map for the next two decades, has been adopted in the midst of a pandemic and a lockdown, which renders discussion and debate difficult.
While most people are seen welcoming it, some have a different opinion and think that it requires closer scrutiny, in terms of its implications for the marginalised, disciplinary spaces, autonomy, and constitutional values, among other things.
In the same line, Anupam, the leader of Swaraj India and representative of the 'Yuva Halla Bol' movement, has also shared his mix opinion on the new education policy to ETV Bharat.
Anupam said that there are many things in the new education policy that need to be applauded. For example, increasing the right to education from 3 to 18 years is a commendable step. Earlier it was limited to 6 to 14 years of age.
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"The government has accepted in the new education policy that primary education and upbringing of children is a weak link in India's education system. It is very important and some proposals have also been suggested to overcome it. To provide education in mother tongue to students up to class V is also a good step," he said to ETV Bharat.
But apart from all these, Anupam says that policy also has many shortcomings and there are many requirements that new national education policy does not fulfil.
"For example, this document itself believes that education is out of reach for a large section of the country. Not everyone can get equal education or say that they are not able to get an education. So, as a unique education system, it does not give any concrete measures or steps to overcome this problem. Apart from this, we also believe that there is large-scale commercialization of education, but no concrete measures have been suggested to overcome it," he said.
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He further said that there are some good elements to the NEP 2020 that will generate little friction, and need only adequate resourcing.
"On the lines of GST Council, if possible, the National Education Commission should also be made a body in which the governments of different states and their education ministers can be its members. This will help them to voice their point of view too," Anupam said.
He further added that it is to be hoped that beyond the immediate excitement that the announcement of the implementation of the NEP has generated, there will be opportunities to examine its long-term implications, and, if necessary, revisit it, before it is actually implemented.
It is to be noted that Anupam has been continuously raising the issue of youth, students and has also worked to expose corruption on a wide scale in the restoration of government jobs.
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