JOIN USThe Ministry of Human Resource Development’s (MHRD) input report pointed out that the draft of the New Education Policy (NEP) would focus on seven key areas: access and participation, quality, equity, system efficiency, governance and management, research and development and financial commitment to education development.
According to reports, these seven areas would see systematic revamp through policy interventions that would span pre-school and adolescent education, curriculum development and examination reform, teacher and faculty training, lifelong literacy, higher education and long distance learning.
Still in the draft stage – it has yet to be released – the NEP was an ambitious project with consultations beginning way back in May 2015. The ‘Evolution of the New Education Policy’ bro-ught forth by a committee, chai-red by a former cabinet secreta-ry, submitted its 217-page report in May 2016 to the HRD minis-try. Later, the ministry put up a 43-page document, ‘Some Inp-uts for Draft National Education Policy 2016’, on its website and, once again, sought suggestions.
The question that is being asked is: what should the new education policy be that would be in sync with the aspirations of today's youth and at the same time, help in the process of national development? While one agrees that it is a difficult task to dovetail ideological compulsions and work out a policy that can be acceptable to all, it must not be overlooked that knowledge creation over hundreds of years in India cannot be forgotten.
The challenge then for the new policy would be to focus on the degradation of work culture in government schools and colleges and those institutions that receive public funds. When this is coupled with creating an envi-ronment where learning can be an enjoyable experience, the task turns even more imposing.
So, the first task would be to enhance and update the infrastructure by getting rid of the red tape. Next, the curriculum has to be looked into and reduced. Along with all this, to bring in equality, pre-school education has to be made available to the furthest corners of the country.
Access, therefore, continues to be a major obstacle to the growth of education. While the states need to put in more effort and promote the Right to Education Act, other moves that will be necessary would be to help dropouts and working children who do not or cannot have the opportunity to attend formal schools.
Digitise India
The prime minister’s move to digitise India is indeed laudable, and one that aims to bring in equity. In theory, it should bring in a huge growth in the number of students since it will target the farthest child. But it will be quite a while before the effects of digitisation begin to show.
More importantly, the curriculum reform that has been envisaged speaks of achieving ‘social cohesion, religious amity and national integration’ and will also include inculcating fundamental rights and duties to make students responsible citizens.
In addition, the curriculum seeks to educate the youth about social justice (gender, social, cultural and regional disparities). Will the NEP ensure that the curriculum reform process does not become a playground for political forces?
One of the major challenges that any education policy would have to tackle is of the teachers – or rather the role of the teachers. Whether we like it or not, teachers do have a significant role to play: consider the fact that around half of the total government staff in any state comprises teachers. While there are exceptions, a majority of these government teachers are politicised and unionised. Along with this is the performance of the teachers in class.
No one questions who is responsible for the poor results of students. All that a teacher is told is to do better the next time. There is no concept of accountability in the government educational system. This has to be tackled with determination and, if reports are to be believed, the draft NEP specifically mentioned “teacher matters” as very important and absolutely necessary to implement.
However, boosting education standards in the country has to be a systematic approach. The action plan has to be crafted in such a manner that all the concerns are factored in: equality of access, learner attainments, skill development, employability, assessment of teachers and students, recruitment of teachers, upgradation of institutions and research facilities and stoppage of brain drain to foreign universities. The time has come to achieve all these targets.
(The writer is President, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions, Faridabad)