SEP panel recommends two-language policy, Kannada/mother tongue as medium of instruction
The SEP, submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday after a delay of over a year, has proposed to mandate Kannada/mother tongue as the medium of instruction at least until Class 5, and preferably up to Class 12 (II PUC). Alongside this, a two-language policy should be implemented, comprising Kannada or the mother tongue, and English. 'To support this policy, teachers must be trained in bilingual teaching methods, and a dedicated Language Teaching Centre should be established,' it recommended.
Structural changes
Suggesting some structural changes in school education, the SEP has recommended schooling in the 2+8+4 model, which includes 2 years of pre-primary, 8 years of elementary, and 4 years of secondary education. According to the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) the structure of school education model was 5+3+3+4. 'In addition to restructuring, it is important to retain small schools to ensure access and equity in education, and to avoid arbitrary closures,' it stated.
To strengthen Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), it is recommended to attach two-year pre-primary programmes to existing primary schools. 'An ECCE Council should be formed to enable integrated governance and coordination across departments. Additionally, private pre-schools must be brought under a dedicated regulatory framework,' it said.
The commission has also cleared up confusion about the minimum age limit for children to enrol in school and recommended standardising the admission age for Class 1 to 6 years (±3 months).
In three volumes
The final report of the commission has been consolidated in three volumes, comprising a total of 2,197 pages, of which there are 617 tables, 47 figures, 16 graphs, 8 figures and 619 pages of appendices.
'The recommendations are based on a vast amount of empirical data, information, and the experiences of those who have been actively involved in the development of education at the national and state levels for decades,' stated the commission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
India's education system transformed in last few years: Min
1 2 Berhampur: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said the country's higher education ecosystem has transformed a lot in the last few years, and India has become the favourite destination of global educational institutions. While several global institutes have opened their campuses in the country, others are in the pipeline. Some of our institutes also opened their campuses in foreign countries. IIM Ahmedabad will soon open its campus in Dubai, said Pradhan, while addressing the convocation at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Berhampur. Highlighting the growth of education in the country, he said the total enrolment of students touched around 4.46 crore in 2022-23, a 30% increase since 2014-15. The female enrolment during the period grew by around 38 to 40%. "This indicates the govt's commitment towards inclusive education," he said. The govt implemented the New Education Policy-2020, keeping an eye on achieving India as a developed nation by 2047—the Viksit Bharat, call of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Urging the students to become "job creators and not be job-seekers," he said they should be involved in innovation. Addressing the convocation of Berhampur University earlier, he urged the students to work hard to achieve the Viksit Odisha and Viksit Bharat in 2036 and 2047, respectively, as called by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make Bharat number one in economics in the world. Odisha will celebrate its centenary of statehood in the next 11 years, while the country celebrates its centenary of achievement of freedom in 2047. The young students should play a key role in achieving the Viksit Odisha and Viksit Bharat in the next 11 and 22 years, said Pradhan. University is not an institute to teach, but it should be involved in research and evolve innovations, he said. Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati addressed the convocations of both the institutes and highlighted the growth of the education ecosystem of the country in the last few years, which makes it flexible and innovation-driven. Ashok Kumar Ganguli, director, IISER Berhampur, highlighted the achievements of the institute. In the convocation, 136 BS-MS, one MS degree, and 22 PhD students received their degrees. The governor inaugurated the state-of-the-art "central advanced instrumentation facility" on the IISER campus. Berhampur University awarded honorary to Ajit Kumar Mohanty, secretary, Department of Atomic Energy and Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, Tessy Thomas, former Director General, Aeronautical Systems, DRDO and known as the "Missile Woman of India," and Raimati Ghiuria, seed custodian, well known as Millet Queen. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Zelensky To FLEE Ukraine Before Trump-Putin Alaska Meet, New Leader Named? Russian Ally's Big Claim
AI-GENERATED ENGLISH TRANSLATIONBelarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky will be able to escape in the event of joint mobilisation of the Russian and Belarusian armies, unlike his people, during his interview with the US journalist Simon Shuster on Friday. "Do not force us to mobilise. That's 150 million people. If that happens, that's the end. Then it does not look like war in Ukraine any longer. I see Volodya Zelensky's behaviour. I don't believe he's such a heroic brave man. He has somewhere to escape. But where will the Ukrainians run if we mobilise?" Lukashenko said. Read More
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
SEP Commission opposes foreign universities setting up campuses in Karnataka
State Education Policy (SEP) Commission chairman Sukhadeo Thorat told The Hindu that the commission in its report submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, had opposed allowing foreign universities directly setting up their campuses in Karnataka. 'We are not in favour of foreign universities opening their campuses in Karnataka. It will not be accessible for the poor and it is very expensive. Therefore, we have favoured institutional collaboration with foreign universities for awarding degrees,' Prof. Thorat said. The University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, is expected to open its campus in Bengaluru in September 2026. Minister for Large and Medium Industries M.B. Patil earlier this year said that University of East London, York University, and University of Wolverhampton have expressed keen interest in Karnataka's KWIN City initiative. Several other foreign universities from Australia, United States of America, and Italy are also said to be keen to establish their campuses in Karnataka. Instead, the SEP Commission has recommended accessible online education for all students, increasing the job oriented course in all streams of education, and introducing new courses on emerging technologies like quantum computing, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, nano science in technical education. Low GER in Karnataka Prof. Thorat expressed concern over low gross enrollment ratio (GER) for higher education. 'GER in Karnataka for higher education is about 30% to 35%, ranking ninth among States in GER, while it ranks second in per capita income. So we need to look at other reasons for low GER,' he said. 'Regional disparity is one among the major reasons for this lower GER. Kalyana Karnataka has a GER in the range of 20-25%, while GER in coastal and inland Karnataka is around 37%. There are seven or eight districts with GER less than 20%. We have suggested measures to improve GER in Kalyana Karnataka,' Prof. Thorat said. The commission has found low GER in disadvantaged communities. 'Poor coverage of post-matric scholarship, financial assistance is one of the reasons for low GER in these communities. In the case of SCs and STs, the income limit is very low compared to others. Even with ₹2.5 lakh of annual income, so many students are deprived of scholarships. Meanwhile, income limit for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) students is pegged at ₹8 lakh and for OBCs at ₹6 lakh per annum. Therefore, we have suggested income limit exemption up to ₹10 lakh for SC and ST students,' he said. Prof. Thorat further said that they have recommended that the government should provide free education for rural girls, along with other financial incentives to reduce their domestic work, not to go for early marriages etc. 'We have also recommended some incentives to married women as well,' he said. The SEP Commission has also recommended setting up of a Finance Corporation, under the PPP mode which will give education loans. According to the SEP report, higher educational institutions in Karnataka are not performing well. 'In the national ranking list of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Karnataka's universities and colleges are not doing well. There are very few government colleges that have a NAAC rank. Lack of permanent faculties, low quality of teaching and lack of infrastructure are major reasons for this poor performance. There are about 20,000 teaching posts vacant at government higher educational institutions. Therefore, we have recommended that these posts should be filled within the next five years. In future, there should be no guest faculties in higher educational institutions,' he said.
