Despite demands from various stakeholders to implement the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 after detailed discussions, the state government has issued a ‘dictatorial’ order of implementing it from the next academic year, leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said on Sunday.
“The order should be withdrawn immediately and a decision on its implementation should be taken only after extensive consultations,” he said in a statement.
The ‘disastrous’ policy, he said, was part of a process to deprive the poor and middle class of quality higher education.
Siddaramaiah listed out five reasons for the opposition to NEP, which included teaching Kannada only for two semesters.
When the issue was raised previously, Higher Education minister C N Ashwath Narayan had assured to address it. “But, the new order has no clarity,” he said.
Offering 40% credits for students online will reduce universities to mere distance education centres.
“Education and selection of syllabus was the right of the states. The BJP government at the Centre is implementing this policy by repressing the rights of the states,” he said.
Commenting on reducing the number of major subjects in graduation from three to one under NEP, he said that it ran the risk of rendering several lecturers jobless. The system also threatened the higher education system, he said.
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(Published 08 August 2021, 17:17 IST)
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