Have you been one of those cribbing about the education system in the country, the practices in teaching and learning methods or lack of emphasis on research? Here is your chance to voice your concerns.
For, plans are afoot to conduct a consultation at the grassroots level to formulate a new national education policy, and the States have been given 10 months to put forth their views since education comes under the Concurrent List.
As many as 33 broad topics have been identified — 13 of which are related to primary education and the remaining to higher education.
Topics of discussion
Some of the topics around which discussions will be held are on engagement of the industry to link education with employability, promoting research and innovation, forging partnership with the private sector, and how to factor in the mushrooming pre-primary education.
Another topic that the State government has been asked to comment on is what it feels should be the preferred medium of instruction and what the role of English, Hindi and other local language should be in school education.
“We will soon hold consultative meetings across all gram panchayats, blocks and districts to gather public opinion and then send it to the Union government,” Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar, told The Hindu .
He was among the 22 Education Ministers from across the country who participated in a meeting to discuss the modalities.
He said, “The new education policy should address issues pertaining to the quality education, [ways to] break away from rote learning, and [how to] integrate technology in education.”
The National Policy on Education 1986, amended in 1992, has been the guiding document.
However, the education scenario has changed in the two decades since then, with elementary education being made a fundamental right, he added.
