Education policy to be presented after state polls

THE NEW EDUCATION POLICY IS EXPECTED TO LAY DOWN CONTOURS OF HOW EDUCATION IS IMPARTED IN INDIA ACROSS LEVELS

NEW DELHI: The draft report on New Education Policy (NEP) by a government appointed panel headed by former Isro chief K Kasturirangan is “ready” but the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry can’t present it because of the model code of conduct ahead of elections in five states in November and early December, the ministry said in an order.

The order, a copy of which has been seen by HT extends the tenure of the committee to December 15. Results of the elections will be announced on 11 December.

The Kasturirangan panel, has already had four extensions. It’s term was to end on 31 October, the date on which it was expected to submit its report. NEP, a muchneeded upgrade of the education system, was one of the campaign promises of the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 214 Lok Sabha elections.

The country’s national policy on education was framed in 1986 and modified in 1992. The new policy is expected to lay down the contours of the way education is disseminated in the country from the most basic to the higher levels.

“The committee report is likely to be received around December 15 when the model code of conduct has been lifted,” confirmed a HRD ministry official who asked not to be identified.

Apart from Kasturirangan, the panel consists of Fields Medal winning mathematician Manjul Bhargava, Vice-chancellor of Tribal University, Amarkantak, TV Kattamani, and leading academicians such as Vasudha Kamat, Mazhar Asif, K M Tripathy and MK Shridhar.

Significantly, this was the second panel formed by the current government to draft the policy. The first, headed by former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian, was constituted when Smriti Irani was the Union HRD minister. The Subramanian committee submitted its recommendations in 2016. The government then chose to form another panel headed by Kasturirangan and said this would use the report of the earlier panel as an input.

The HRD ministry official said the ministry may move the cabinet once it receives the report.

Last month, at a press conference, where he announced new school affiliation norms for the central Board of Secondary Education, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said the new education policy was expected to give direction to education in the country between 2020 and 2040. Former UGC member Inder Mohan Kapahy said policy should have the ability to constantly evolve to meet the growing challenges posed by “growth in both knowledge and techniques”.

“The contours of the existing national policy was laid almost three decades back. It was only tinkered with in subsequent years. The new national policy should incorporate the positive elements which have emerged during the last three decades. Emphasis should be on quality education, application of acquired knowledge, capacity building, innovation, research, expanding the catchment area of beneficiaries,” he added.