NEP is against the federal structure of country, TN tells HC

CHENNAI: While the Tamil Governor RN Ravi seems to be backing the National Education Policy 2020, the State Higher Education Department on Tuesday informed the Madras High Court that the National Education Policy 2020 features have strong centralisation tendencies which may have a destabilising effect on the federal structure of the country.

State Higher Education Department’s joint secretary M Ilango Henry Doss had filed the counter affidavit before the first division bench of the Madras HC comprising Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N Mala. The officer explained the reasons and backgrounds for the state government’s resistance to implementing the NEP 2020.

The bench was hearing a matter filed by Arjunan Ilaiyaraja who sought directions to the state to implement the NEP 2020.

However, the state government submitted that the NEP is merely a draft policy and the same cannot be implemented by the state as education falls under the concurrent list.

The state further informed the HC that it had formed a high-level committee headed by former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court D Murugesan to come out with the State Education Policy.

“As per the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) report 2020, Tamil Nadu has achieved the highest Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) 51.4 per cent which is double the national average of 27.1 per cent. The prime aim of the National Education Policy 2020 is to increase GER to 50 percent by 2035. In this purview, Tamil Nadu is 15 years ahead of India TN had shown results much more than the expected results of NEP would be cruel and disadvantageous to the people of Tamil Nadu, ” the State submitted.

The Higher Education Department also noted that the NEP’s school class structure model will pave the way for increasing dropouts and the same will affect the 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER).

“Multiple exits during the degree course are not good for the students. It will affect the scientific thinking of the students. Students will join jobs before completing their degree and thus will increase the labors of daily wages, ” the officer submitted and wanted to dismiss the petition.

Recording the submissions, the bench adjourned the matter by two weeks.