New education policy to be out by December: Javadekar

 The government will form an expert committee to frame an education policy before the end of this year, which will be “transformative and more meaningful”.

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told DH that the policy will be a blend of skills and human values and would do away with “unnecessary restrictions.”

“We have received excellent suggestions from stakeholders,” Javadekar said.
“The committee will look into them and give a final shape to the new education policy. It will be definitely out by December.”

Begun by Smriti

The HRD ministry began the process to create the new education policy in January 2015, when the current Textiles Minister Smriti Irani was at its helm.

A committee set up under former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian came up with its report on the “evolution of a new education policy.”

However, some of the panel’s recommendations drew sharp criticism, prompting the Opposition to accuse the Narendra Modi government of saffronising education.

The Ministry then reached out to the stakeholders and devoted more time in working the finer aspects of the policy, clarifying that the Subramanian Committee recommendations are mere ‘inputs’ and are not the basis for the final policy.

Javadekar said the government wants to introduce a policy for the next two to three decades. “Transformative education means meaningful education, skill education and education with human values,” the minister explicated.

“An education system (should have) interdisciplinary study and have all kinds of freedom for the students; where there is no place for unnecessary restrictions. Education should be open and more meaningful. Its content should also be more meaningful. That is how we feel,” he said.

The minister hoped that the new committee consisting of eminent academicians would offer “far reaching recommendations.”

“We will give the panel complete freedom to recommend transformative education for the next two to three years,” he said, adding that the policy would be based on suggestions from all stakeholders.

“I believe in taking informed decisions. I always ask my officers for empirical data before considering changes,” Javadekar clarified. “That's why I have ordered a comprehensive review of all schemes (once) in three years and a continuous evaluation every year. This will create empirical data and allow us to take informed decisions.”