JOIN USGlad Modi govt has finally grasped the nettle: Tharoor welcomes National Education Policy
Congress leader and former HRD Minister Shashi Tharoor on Thursday welcomed the new National Education Policy but wanted the Modi government to offer more realistic targets in the sector.
Tharoor, who was minister of state for HRD in the UPA government, the goals of 50% gross enrolment ratio in higher education and 100% in secondary school were laudable but wondered whether the targets were any more realistic than the government’s solar-energy commitments at the Paris Climate summit.
Tharoor acknowledged that the suggestions made by him and some others had been taken into account while finalising the National Education Policy, but questioned why was it not discussed in Parliament before releasing it.
“I’ve advocated a revision of the 1986 National Education Policy since my days in MHRD, to bring it into the 21st century. I am glad the Modi government has finally grasped the nettle, even if it took them six years to do so. Challenge is to ensure aspiration is matched by the implementation,” Tharoor said.
“For instance, the goal of 6% of GDP to be spent on education was first articulated in 1948! Every government articulates this target & then comes up against its own Finance Ministry. In the last 6 years, Modi government expenditure in education has declined in real terms. How will it reach 6%?” he added.
“The goals of 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio in higher education and 100% in secondary school are laudable, but when you realise it is currently 25.8% in Higher education & 68% in Class 9, you wonder if such targets are any more realistic than the government’s solar-energy commitments at Paris.”
“The NEP should have offered more tangible & realisable targets for research. Total investment on research & innovation in India declined from 0.84% of GDP in 2008 to 0.6% in 2018. There are currently only 15 researchers in India per 100,000 of population, compared with 111 in China,” Tharoor said.