New education policy in doldrums

The roll-out of the new National Education Policy (NEP) under work since the Modi government assumed power in May 2014 has been further delayed, this time because of Prime Minister Modi’s intervention to direct the Human Resources Development Ministry to rework on certain issues in the draft NEP before finalising it.

The PM’s intervention means putting on the back burner a Bill promised to be brought before Parliament during the current budget session to implement the new policy.

Sources said the PM acted after the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) went through every detail in the draft NEP, seeking clarifications and directing the ministry to make the necessary changes both in the higher education and secondary education segments.

The last NEP was revised in 1986. The new NEP has been the ruling BJP’s agenda in every manifesto and Prime Minister Modi promised the new NEP soon after coming to power in 2014.

Two former Human Resources Development Miniters – Smriti Irani and Prakash Javadekar – formed own committees to draft the NEP. While Irani tasked TSR Subramanian-led committee to suggest recommendations, Javadekar rejected the committee’s report and disbanded it. Instead, he formed another panel chaired by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan. The committee began work on the policy in July 2017.

“The HRD Ministry will now have to amend the draft NEP policy document on a war footing to seek the Cabinet approval since the PM desires that the policy incorporating the suggested changes is put it before the Cabinet at the earliest. The PM wanted the related Bill tabled in the current session that closes on April 3,” the ministry sources said.