Centre’s draft national education policy draws sharp reaction from educationists

A national colloquium on Draft National Education Policy-2019 was organised at St Joseph’s college here in which the participants expressed concerns about the policy. Despite the policy addressing some issues and challenges in a positive way, there are apprehensions that it leans towards a market-friendly approach, making education inaccessible to the poor and the marginalized, the participants said.

They also expressed concerns over the intervention in the autonomy of educational institutions, especially in the domains of curriculum development, pedagogy, thrust areas of research and funding.

The colloquium aimed at facilitating serious deliberations on the policy.

While addressing the participants, the former Vice Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and education expert, Vasanthi Devi, claimed that the new policy would only support the people belonging to the developed community and leave the poor and Dalit students affect.  She said that the policy would trouble the primary education in the State.

Vasanthi Devi also mentioned the draft policy posing a threat not just to teachers’ job security but also paving way for the closure of educational institutions in rural areas. She hence appealed to withdraw the policy. She also said that the policy would implant a divisive force among the students.

Later, the meeting passed a resolution against the Centre and appealed to call back the new policy.