The implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is likely to be delayed by a year in Kerala with the State government yielding to pressure from Left-leaning service organisations.
The preparatory measures made by the lone Left-ruled State in the country to adopt the national policy had come in for much criticism. The government intended to introduce some of the recommendations by including them in the Kerala Higher Education Curriculum Framework next academic year onwards.
Some of the much-touted reforms slated to be ushered in include the launch of four-year undergraduate programmes with an option to exit after three years. The government also pursued steps to launch an Academic Bank of Credits, which also figured among the recommendations of the NEP 2020. Despite considering such proposals, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has refrained from announcing its implementation, partially or in toto.
Sources said the alleged haste shown by the government in introducing such reforms even when most Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled States were yet to implement the policy was met with strong disapproval from certain feeder organisations and a section of intellectuals within the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].
Need for talks
While it was felt that embracing the recommendations of NEP 2020 could create bad optics for the Left from a political perspective, policy analysts also emphasised the need for detailed deliberations with the stakeholders in view of the fundamental changes it espoused. With the next academic year less than two months away, there remains little time to ring in the reforms.
Nonetheless, official sources point out the government will forge ahead with other reforms recommended by the three higher education commissions. These include the introduction of the Right to Service Act in universities, enterprise resource planning systems in higher education institutions, a law to permit private universities, and amendments to university Acts and statutes.
Such issues are likely to figure in a two-day workshop on the Kerala State Education Curriculum Framework commencing here Monday. The progress of the preparatory steps will also be reviewed by various stakeholders.
