5 months ago
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Some BJP and Janata Dal (S) members in the Legislative Council demanded that the State government drop plans to draft a State Education Policy (SEP) and continue the National Education Policy (NEP).
Members initiated a discussion under Rule 330, saying there was panic and confusion among students and the general public due to the State government’s decision to discontinue NEP.
Most of the members who spoke argued that the students from poor families who were constrained to attend government schools would face a disadvantage against children of the rich who could afford admission in CBSE/ICSE schools and autonomous colleges and universities.
They also warned that the state could suffer fund crunch as the Union government would release funds only to those States that followed NEP.
Kota Srinivas Poojari, who began the discussion, said that the State government’s decision would further widen the chasm between rural and urban students and English- and Kannada-medium students.
“The new tool of discrimination will be between NEP students and SEP students,” he said, pointing out that the State would lose its share in the ₹50,000 crore national research fund grants.
N. Ravikumar (BJP) member said that the State had taken an unscientific approach without understanding the true essence of NEP. “It is my personal experience that most teachers and principals are in favour of NEP, but you do not seem to understand,” he said. He said NEP was an answer to the ill-effects of the colonial education policy of Macaulay. There is no real education in the anganwadis now. They are limited to nutritious food and playing games, he said.
Y.A. Narayanaswamy (BJP) said NEP was drafted after wide consultations with experts, stakeholders and even the general public. Manjunath Bhandari (Congress), said that only those who were aligned with the BJP’s ideology were consulted.
Other BJP members like Naveen Kumar, Chaluvadi Narayanswamy, D.S. Arun, Chidananda Gowda, S.V. Sankanur, and JD (S) members such as T.A. Sharavana and K.A. Thippeswamy, spoke.
Santosh Lad, Labour Welfare Minister, raised some questions. He said that the BJP members who were arguing for the continuation of NEP were not listing its benefits, based on the experience of its implementation in some States in the last three years. He also said that the BJP members were silent about the Union government’s failure to provide skill training to 40 crore youth as announced in 2016.
Nagaraj Yadav, Congress member, said NEP was drafted unilaterally without taking into consideration the opinion of stakeholders. It was being forced on the States, he said. U.B. Venkatesh, Congress member, said the Centre was planning major changes in the field of education, without providing infrastructure facilities.
Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar said the Centre had failed to provide any fund for research and development in the last eight years. Member Shashil Namoshi responded to him saying that delay in payments should not be a reason for discontinuation of any policy.
S.L. Bhoje Gowda, JD(S) member, said he neither supported nor opposed NEP. However, Maritibbe Gowda, JD(S) member, said he supported the State Education Policy. Deputy chairman M.K. Pranesh adjourned the session for Friday morning.
