Appeal to T.N. government to oppose National Education Policy

The State Platform for Common School System - Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) has appealed to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to fully oppose the National Education Policy 2020.

In a letter written to the Chief Minister, the organisation argued that the NEP had to be opposed completely since it was wrong on various issues.

Elaborating the reasons, P.B. Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, SPCSS-TN, said that NEP went against autonomy of the States, would result in shifting the burden of funding to the States, dilute reservation policies, weaken public-funded education infrastructure and deny opportunities for students from marginalised communities.

Pointing out that the new policy uses an umbrella term of “socio-economically disadvantaged groups”, in which Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes are a part, he said that this would result in diluting the present reservation policies.

Highlighting that Tamil Nadu had better public infrastructure when it came to education, the NEP, once implemented would weaken that drastically, thereby denying opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue education, he said.

Arguing that the Union Cabinet’s approval of the policy was in violation of democratic principles since it was not discussed in the Parliament and States were not consulted in a proper manner, the organisation said that the appropriate action of Tamil Nadu should be to oppose the policy fully.