MADURAI
A group of educationalists and activists submitted a memorandum seeking a district-wise hearing on the National Educational Policy draft, to the Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), M. Palanisamy amidst commotion.
Senior members of the Campaign Against the Draft of National Education Policy, including People's Watch executive director Henri Tiphagne said that unless the Collector chairs such a meeting on the policy, opinions of teachers, students and parents will not be heard.
National secretary of People's Union of Civil Liberties R. Murali said that the Tamil Nadu government was attempting to prevent conversation on the policy from happening by conducting public hearings in various cities in a clandestine manner.
“Similar such events had taken place in Coimbatore and Tiruchi but both did not have enough number of representatives,” he said.
He said that Mr. Palanisamy who was in Madurai to conduct one such meeting, refused to meet activists for several hours before he could grant an appointment to submit a memorandum against the policy draft.
Former general secretary, Madurai Kamaraj, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Mother Teresa and Alagappa University Teachers' Association, P. Vijayakumar, said, “We request the Central government to constitute a separate committee and form a new policy,” he said.
Mr. Palanisamy refused to meet the press and said he would pass on the memorandum to higher authorities.