Kolkata: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, a vocal critic of the BJP government at the Centre and its policies, has told ETV Bharat in an exclusive interview that the National Education Policy lacks quality which can be attributed to a lack of discussion during its formulation.
ETV Bharat: Whenever you get time in between work, you come running to Santiniketan. How much are you emotionally attached to the place?
Amartya Sen: (Jokes) I don't run because there's always a chance of falling down if I run. I think my ties with Santiniketan run very deep.
ETV BHARAT: How much change do you see in Santiniketan and Visva Bharati now?
Amartya Sen: There are big palatial houses here. In the melee of big houses, small houses are getting lost. I think there are fewer people to restrict the trend.
ETV Bharat: The quality of education in Visva Bharati is deteriorating with each passing day. How do you see it and what advice do you offer?
Amartya Sen: I don't know if the quality of education is going down. And there is no reason to think that it has always been very high. If the quality of education is really going down, then we have to think about how we can maintain it and ensure its improvement.
ETV Bharat: Multiple controversies have occurred regarding Visva Bharati Vice Chancellor Vidyut Chakraborty. How much damage is being done to Visva Bharati because of it?
Amartya Sen: There can be many reasons for deviation from the ideals on which Visva Bharati was built. And it cannot be said that there is no deviation at all. There are several issues. Like some students were removed from school for trivial reasons. Or someone who disagrees with the Vice-Chancellor and the VC gets irritated. It can be said that there is intolerance and we need to think about how to reduce it.
ETV Bharat: How accurate is the National Education Policy? What is your suggestion regarding NEP?
Amartya Sen: I don't know how much National Education Policy is there. They often lack 'quality'. This can be attributed to a lack of discussion. We have a plethora of reasons to regret when those things happen.
ETV Bharat: Railway schools are closing down in many places. Primary schools are closing in many parts of the state which will increase the number of school dropouts. What would you suggest to the state and the center in this context?
Amartya Sen: This is a big question. There is a lot of change going on in our country and there may be reasons to think that something is wrong. If the emphasis on 'unitarianism' in our country has waned then we have good reason to worry about it.
ETV Bharat: You have said many times during the discussion organized by Pratichi Trust that tolerance is waning in the country. What is the reason? How can tolerance be restored, what is your advice on this?
Amartya Sen: Intolerance is always a bad thing. And it is especially bad in education. It is easy for us to accept it and if we see its manifestation in various ways, it is a cause for concern. We often see intolerance among those involved in the running of universities. Do I enjoy them? No, I don't. I may have objections to those, on several occasions.
