ABVP slams Centre for delay, wants edu policy before 2019

NEW DELHI: The students’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has slammed the Union ministry of human resource development (HRD) for the delay in drafting the new national education policy.

A new policy on education was among the major announcements made by the BJP during the campaign for the 2014 general elections, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) pointed out, saying it now wants the government to fulfil its promises before the country heads into the next general elections, less than 18 months away.

Several affiliates such as the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Swadeshi Jagran Manch of the RSS, the BJP’s ideological mentor, have in the recent past criticised the government for its economic and labour policies.

The draft submitted by the government-appointed committee under the chairmanship of former cabinet secretary, TSR Subramanian, were accepted by the Centre as “inputs” to be incorporated in the final policy.

Subsequently, a nine-member panel headed by the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), K Kasturirangan, was set up to look into the draft.

While HRD minister Prakash Javadekar had recently said the Kasturirangan committee was expected to submit its first draft by the end of December, he declined to comment on when the policy will be implemented.

“We had met PM Narendra Modi and then HRD minister Smriti Irani, and recently Javadekar. We submitted our suggestions to the committees set up to examine the issue but the new policy is not in sight,” ABVP’s national general secretary Ashish Chauhan said Monday.

He said a new committee should be formed to address concerns in the education sector.

“The central advisory board of education (CABE) is toothless; we need a foolproof comprehensive policy that covers all aspects of education,” Chauhan said.

The ABVP has flagged issues such as vacant positions in university grants commission, at administrative and academic level in universities across the country, and non-adherence of academic calendar that calls for a minimum of 180 teaching days.

HRD MINISTER HAS SAID THE KASTURIRANGAN PANEL IS EXPECTED TO SUBMIT ITS FIRST DRAFT BY DECEMBEREND BUT NOTHING ON THE POLICY IMPLEMENTATION DATE