"Implementation can irreparably damage education sector"
Kashmir News Observer (KNO)
Srinagar, June 26 (KNO) : The private schools Association and National Independent School Association (NISA) on Wednesday termed the new education Policy flawed saying that the policy has been compiled to destroy the nation. In a joint press conference at Press Club here, President NISA Dr Kulbubshan Sharma, chairman private schools association J&K (PSAJK) G N Var said the policy has been drafted to confuse the masses and politicize the education sector across country.
"NEP is a voluminous document aimed to confuse a common person. An ideal policy document should be around 20 - 30 pages so that it is easily understood by common people and experts alike, but the NEP 2016 is a huge 498 page document. It looks like a discussion rather than a concrete policy," Dr Kulbubshan Sharma said as per KNO Correspodent.
The associations demanded two months' time to give their viewpoint on the draft education policy. "Give stakeholders more time to discuss and react on it. We demand that the political party should make it part of their election manifesto as the policy concerns entire India," GN Var said as per KNO Correspondent.
The association said the document has many pages which have been copy pasted from a website in Gujarat. "But education is unique to every place and one cannot brush everyone in same colour. Education has unique requirements everywhere. Instead of being personalised, the education sector is being centralize," they said.
Briefing further Kulbubshan Sharma said the policy states that the education sector will have Rashtriya Shiksha Ayog (RSA), which will be headed by Prime Minister which questions the role of MHRD or education department.
"It is equal to destroying entire educational governance infrastructure all over India. They should define the role of other institutions if everything will be controlled by PM headed RSA," he said. They said as per the new draft policy, the B.Ed will be integrated course after 12th which will be followed by teacher eligibility test which according to the association makes the educational institutions irrelevant.
"If there is B.Ed then why is TET? It is major flaw in the policy. Does it mean that earlier courses like B.Ed is not up to the mark? It is like asking a doctor who has passed entrance and completed MBBS course, to again appear for another test to become doctor," Sharma said.
They said the new policy stresses skill on 80 percent students and quality education for chosen few. "It seems the main aim is to make 80 percent students as bonded employees of capitalist world while as 20 percent will have upper edge on them. The NEP destroys the concept of equality and it is anti-poor," they said. (KNO)
Source: http://www.kashmirnewsobserver.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=30662