Memorandum submitted against National Education Policy

Members of Samaththuva Kalvikkana Koottamaippu (Confederation for Egalitarian Education) submitted a memorandum to Collector M. Karunakaran on Friday, urging the Centre to redesign its draft for ‘National Education Policy 2016’ by involving educationists and not bureaucrats.

The Confederation members, led by Most Rev. Fr. A. Jude Paulraj, Bishop of Palayamkottai RC Diocese, submitted the memorandum, in which they said including yoga and Sanskrit in the curriculum would not help in anyway strengthen the syllabus at a time when Indian students had to compete at the global level.

“Instead of involving outstanding educationists in this all-important task, the Centre, with the help of a few bureaucrats and a lone educationist, has drafted this proposal which will not help rural children and slow learners. The educational system to be implemented in a secular country should not reflect religious sentiments,” said Rev. Bro. Victor Das, Rector, Brothers of Sacred Heart. The proposal said “meritorious” and “less meritorious” students would be segregated based on marks.

While the “meritorious” students would be allowed to pursue their education according to their wish, the “less meritorious” would be diverted to vocational stream. “This sort of segregation of students cannot be accepted. It will be another form of perpetuating hereditary labour followed in ‘kula kalvi’ and varnashrama dharma,” said Rev. Bro. Victor Das.

The Confederation opposed the proposals to include yoga as a compulsory subject and Sanskrit as the ‘third language’, though they were not against the practice of yoga as one of the optional physical and mental disciplines. There should be nationwide discussions before preparing the draft, in which educationists from all sections of society, including religious minorities, OBCs, SC/STs, differently abled and women, should be included, he said.

Over 2,000 teachers and educationists had signed in the memorandum. “Our ultimate goal is to collect two lakh signatures from teachers and educationists against the new educational policy draft and submit it to the Collector. A State-level signature campaign will also be launched soon,” said Rev. Fr. Antony A. Cruz.