SEP OR NEP? Conundrum continues

CHENNAI: With the Tamil Nadu government’s State Education Policy (SEP) is almost ready, the implementation of the policy hangs in balance as both the centre and State are at loggerheads in deciding on the policy.

Both the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE’s) had issued strict instructions that schools and universities in the State should implement National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and at the same time the Tamil Nadu government has announced the formulation SEP.

The State government in April 2022 constituted a 13-member SEP Committee headed by a retired justice of Delhi High Court D Murugesan to create a unique education system for TN students. Recently, the UGC also went to the extent to warn the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) that it’d freeze central funds meant for improving the infrastructure of the institution.

The UGC was also planning to send a team to Tamil Nadu to check whether all educational institutions have implemented NEP. It was expected to discuss with the authorities both in school and higher education departments about NEP.

The present government has been constantly opposing several key features of the NEP, including conducting common entrance examinations for all UGC courses and conducting common exams for Classes 3, 5, and 8. The State government has also opposed four-year degrees and given options for multiple exits. It opined that multiple exits would encourage more dropouts and will create two types of graduates. The government has also rejected the 3-language policy adopted by the Centre in the NEP saying that the State would only go with the two-language policy.

The committee has also been asked to suggest ways to improve the quality of research in HEIs and to suggest ways to tap resources from all funding agencies from India and abroad. Accordingly, the committee will submit a comprehensive report within a year, while, as authorised, it’d form a sub-committee during the time of drafting SEP.

Meanwhile, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy have recently indicated that the good aspects of NEP will also be considered by the State government for SEP.

A senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that the expert committee will be releasing a State-owned draft of the education policy very soon.

“After releasing the draft policy of SEP, feedback and suggestions will be sought from educationists, academicians, students, experts and common public for amendments,” he added. However, the official expressed concern that authorities are clueless about SEP’s implementation schedule. “Without the consent of the Ministry of Education at the Centre, SEP’s implementation is difficult,” he pointed out. “Many vice-chancellors across the State are concerned. They continue to receive circulars from both UGC and AICTE for implementing NEP, and ask the universities to send action reports on NEP.”

The official stated that the vice-chancellors are anxious over the Union government’s allocation of funding for their institutions if NEP was not implemented.

A senior educationist piped in, “It’d be difficult for TN to have its own education policy if other states implement NEP. The State would be left with no other choice except implement NEP. Plus, even if the State passed a bill for the implementation of SEP, it must be approved by the governor, who’s a Union government appointee.”

Expressing confidence that SEP will be implemented in the State, another official from the School Education Department said, “The word ‘policy’ in NEP says that it was only a recommendation, not binding on anything or any State to adopt it strictly. Additionally, education is in the concurrent list, not in the union list. So, the State will not have any problem implementing it.”

However, it’s common consensus that the State would consult all the experts including legal before implementing SEP.