Hassan district unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) staged a protest on Wednesday opposing the implementation of the National Education Policy, terming it anti-poor and against the linguistic diversity of the country.
The protesters staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Hassan and submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
The CPI(M) district committee secretary H.R. Naveen Kumar, said the new policy was against the interests of women, Dalits and backward classes. Besides that, the policy had been framed to suit the corporate companies and private education institutions. With this, lakhs of anganwadi centres and small schools with one or two teachers would close. It would impact the Integrated Child Development Services as well, he said.
The State government should not implement the policy, considering these disadvantages. It should first debate the policy with lawmakers, educationists, universities and others, before implementing it, he added.