Over 30 groups joint hands to block draft NEP

A number of teachers association, students groups and civil rights activists have come together to block the implementation of the proposed national policy on education (NPE) of the Modi government, calling it “dangerous, anti-people and pro-privatisation of education”.

The groups under the aegis of All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE) on Monday held a brainstorming session here and decided to build a nationwide campaign against the draft NPE to stop the Union government from implementing its reccomendations.

They decided to soon form a coordination committee to mobilise people in every state, conducting sensitisation and awareness programme across the country, and build pressure on the government to withdraw the draft NEP and provide “free education to all” from kindergarten to post-graduate level.

“On January 17, 2020, a nationwide protest will be held and the draft NEP will be burnt across the country,” AIFRTE spokesperson Madhu Prasad told reporters at a press conference after the day-long summit of the teachers bodies, students groups and rights activists concluded.

The summit, organised under the aegis of the AIFRTE, on the topic, “Reject NEP 2019”, was attended by representatives of over 30 organisations including teachers and students bodies.

The joint forum of the teachers, students and rights activists has received support from the Left parties, SP and the RJD so far and will reach out to other political parties for their support, AIFRTE's office bearers said.

Sharing dias with the joint forum's leader at the press conference, CPM's Rajya Sabha member K K Ragesh rejected the government's draft NEP, saying it provides for “triple C—commercialisation, communalisation and centralisation.”

He called the draft NEP “highly objectionable,” saying the recommendations made “under pretext of value education” were not in accordance with the secular and democratic approach as enshrined in the Constitution.

“It (NEP) has agenda for exclusion. The recommendations made for bringing early childhood care and education under the ambit of RTE Act will help the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) further expand its cadre base,” Anil Sadgopal, an academician from Madhya Pradesh and a member of AIFRTE, said.

The joint forum gave a call to people to join the movement against the draft NEP to save education and public-funded educational institutions, noting that the draft policy provides for further cutting down of government spending in the sector.

Meanwhile, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, continuing with their stir against hostel fee hike and other issues, took out a march to President's house only to be forcibly stopped mid-way by the police.

Several students including women from the university were injured as police resorted to lathi charge in order to prevent them from reaching President's House.

Students wanted to seek an appointment with President Ram Nath Kovind, who is visitor of the JNU, to urge him to intervene and ask the varsity administration to roll back the hiked hostel fees and other changes brought in the hostel rules.