The National Education Policy 2020, on various counts, does not stand for the betterment of the people, said Justice V. Gopala Gowda, former Judge of Supreme Court.
He was speaking at a seminar: ‘The Principle of Government: Of the people, for the people and by the people’, organised by the State Platform for Common School System- Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) on Thursday.
“Tamil Nadu has come out very vocally against the NEP 2020, and that it cannot be accepted. It has rightly taken up the cause of the young generation of the country, and I completely endorse the stand taken that it is an anti-people policy,” Mr Gowda said, stating that the policy is opposed to the ethos, cultural values, the preamble and directive principles of the Indian Constitution.
He further spoke about how one has to also look at the policy in the background of the Radhakrishnan Commission and Kothari Commission. “Thousands of expert opinions were collected and considered then, which is greatly lacking for the NEP 2020. Even in the Parliament, before the [COVID-19] pandemic hit, were debates and suggestions taken into consideration and incorporated?” Mr Gowda asked. He hoped for many more States to approach the policy like Tamil Nadu and see the effect it would have on human rights.
Book released
A book— ‘Education and Democracy through the prism of constitution’— compiled by P.B. Suresh Babu was also released on the occasion. VCK chief and MP Thol. Thirumavalavan received the first copy. He said as the book emphasised, taking a constitutional approach to look at education and democracy would make it clear that the NEP 2020 could not be accepted.
P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, General Secretary, SPCSS-TN, said the seminar aimed at discussing the challenges to education and democracy. “The book we have released as well as the papers presented here will be taken to the people of various States in the country for building a mass movement for resisting the NEP 2020, which is highly commercialising and communalising. An alternate policy, which is State-specific and ensures the Right To Education at all levels with a provision for equitable access to education for all should be evolved,” he added.
