Latest news with #AllIndiaSaveEducationCommittee
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
People's Education Policy challenges NEP 2020, seeks rollback of key measures
Even as the implementation of many aspects of the National Education Policy 2020 is in full swing, the All India Save Education Committee has released a draft alternative to it. Termed, 'Draft People's Education Policy 2025: An Alternative to NEP 2025', it delivers a robust critique of NEP 2020 while proposing some alternatives. The People's Education Policy (PEP) refers to several attempts to recast the education system in the past including when the Congress government under Rajiv Gandhi proposed a New Education Policy. It says the diagnosis of the ills plaguing the Indian education system is correct but the NEP 2020 will only exacerbate the situation. The PEP notes falling percentage allocation in Central budget, slashing of UGC funds, restricting government funds to National Research Foundation and so on. It critiques the approach of PPP model, privatization, academia-industry collaboration and so on. 'Privatization, commercialization, and corporatization of education would hinder education's universalization,' it says. The PEP critiques the World Bank's Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) project, launched in India in 2021, for promoting a market-driven framework and fostering direct partnerships between education institutions and industries. As a result, industry representatives will dictate curricula, syllabi, pedagogy, and evaluation methods, 'severely compromising the autonomy of universities and academic bodies,' it says. The concept of Outcome-Based Education (OBE), now central to the NEP 2020 framework, may have some relevance in technical training or skill development, its wholesale application across all streams of knowledge is fundamentally flawed, says the draft policy. The HEGC, which has replaced the University Grants Commission (UGC) in matters of funding, brings funding mechanisms under tighter central control. The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), once fully operationalized, will further erode university autonomy by regulating academic standards, curriculum frameworks, and institutional accreditation through centralised bodies, it says. NEP 2020 and its implementation frameworks promote the entry of foreign universities into India, ostensibly to raise standards of education. 'However, these foreign institutions will primarily cater to the rich elite, charging exorbitant fees and operating as profit-making enterprises,' it says. The DPEP opposes four-year UG programme, splitting courses and awarding certificates, diplomas and so on, saying this will create hierarchies among students. It is against centralized admissions tests such as NEET, CUET and so on, and wants admission decisions to universities. The DPEP demands that education should go back into the State list but federal funding should continue and increase. The credit framework, learning levels, and learning outcomes prescribed in NEP 2020 are all tools of centralism and attempt to enforce a national curriculum, according to it. It opposes the No-Detention Policy under the Right to Education Act, too, and prescribes annual examinations for each year. It faults the NEP 2020 for not mandating fee committees to prevent profiteering and allowing commercialization. The draft policy critiques the promotion of Indian Knowledge Systems for attempting to rewrite history, attempting to inculcate a communal bias among students, and promoting unscientific, magical outlooks. The promotion of online learning commodifies education, where each credit is essentially sold for a price, and formal learning is diminished. The proposal for digital universities further illustrates this shift towards a market-driven approach to education, where students will need to purchase access to the necessary products to earn credits while likely working at a young age. Main proposals of the PEP The PEP proposes universal, free education, not just a focus on literacy and numeracy, and seeks to end central schemes such as SSA, RMSA and so on. It rejects the RTE Act and says that instead of private schools being asked to take in poor students, the government must expand on school allocation and commit to teaching all of them. State governments must finance all education and be in-charge. Center should support. The PEP wants to reinstate the 10+2+3 system. It wants formal, classroom education to take precedence, and, for that reason, wants to defocus on online courses. To achieve this, it wants to appoint permanent teaching positions, opposes vocationalisation of academic streams. Early Childhood Care and Education is welcome but the NEP 2020 doesn't recommend a uniform system of schooling and allows multiple types, it charges. Many children will go to Anganwadi centers while some will go to government schools and a few to private. It also advises Anganwadi workeres should be delinked from Ministry of Women and Child Development and brought to Education Ministry. Exchange programmes such as semester-abroad based on MoUs are acceptable if scholarships or are funded, but foreign universities should not set up branch campuses. Twinning, joint degree programmes not allowed. No to integration of Ayush with modern medicine The PEP says a national-level standard-setting body shall maintain uniform standards of medical education across the country. State-level academic bodies shall use these standards as guidelines. 'Considering India's socio-economic, cultural, and linguistic diversity, a single national-level entrance or exit examination is unsuitable. Universities must have the autonomy to decide on syllabi, curricula, and examination systems.'
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
AISEC offers alternative to NEP 2020, opposes closure of govt schools in Karnataka
The 'All India Save Education Committee (AISEC)-Karnataka State Committee' has opposed the closure of government schools in the State and urged the appointment of adequate number of teachers. The committee has released a draft People's Education Policy-2025 (PEP), an alternative to National Education Policy (NEP 2020), on May 22 with a request to the government of Karnataka not to give non-teaching work to teachers, abandon the no-detention police, and to strengthen public education. Allama Prabhu Bettaduru, president of AISEC, told reporters, 'Over the last five years, we had organised hundreds of workshops, debates, discussions, seminars, symposia, conventions and public gatherings to seek the opinion of people on NEP-2020, and also their alternative to its contentious recommendations. 'We feel proud to say that this PEP is the outcome of tireless efforts of hundreds of educationists and thousands of teachers, professors, students and the general public. Due to their tireless efforts, the government of Karnataka has constituted a commission to formulate a State Education Policy (SEP),' he said. 'In spite of severe resentment among the people to various recommendations of NEP 2020, we are shocked to note that the government of Karnataka has decided to close down 6,000 government schools. This closure of schools, under the pretext of merger, is an important recommendation of NEP 2020,' he added. The draft PEP recommends the two language formula to promote the mother tongue and English language, scientifically developing the language policy, secular, scientific, democratic and universal education system, at least 10% of the Central budget and 20 to 25% of the State budget for education sector.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Academics release draft of People's Education Policy as an alternative to NEP 2020
A group of academicians have come together and formulated an alternative to the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. The group has called it People's Education Policy (PEP) 2025, which, they said, would be finalised after nation-wide discussions. K. Yogarajan, secretary of the Tamil Nadu chapter of All India Save Education Committee, said the PEP proposes secular, scientific, democratic, and universal education, as against 'communal, undemocratic, anti-scientific, privatised, and commercialised education' that NEP 2020 represents. PEP proposes at least 10% allocation in the Union budget and 25% allocation for education in the State budget. It also proposes to bring education to the State list and amending the Constitution to that effect. The PEP is in favour of 10+2+3 structure and school education for students in the age group of 3 to 17 years. it also suggests classroom teaching instead of online and hybrid mode, and proposes to dispense with CUET and NEET. It calls for appointing permanent teachers instead of guest and contractual teachers. It opposes Indian Knowledge System, which it says is a design to distort history and inculcate pseudoscience. Ramu Manivannan, former Political Science professor at the University of Madras, said it is important to ensure that universities are run effectively and faculty appointments are made when need arises. Mr. Manivannan released the first copy of the draft of PEP and it was received by S. Bakthavatchalam, an office bearer of the Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary Graduate Teachers Association.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Edu NGO's draft policy offers alternative to NEP
Chennai: An NGO released a draft People's Education Policy on Thursday, suggesting it could be an alternative to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The All India Save Education Committee (AISEC), which came up with the policey, suggested a two-language system in schools and proposed continuing the present 10+2 system with provisions for pre-primary education and three-year undergraduate degrees, and providing free education from pre-primary to Class NEP proposed restructuring the school education system from the 10+2 structure to a 5+3+3+4 model. "Pre-primary, primary, and middle schools should be seamlessly integrated. This will facilitate a better transition of children from primary to upper primary classes," the draft People's Education Policy (PEP) said. "Admission shall not be based on centralised tests like NEET and JEE. Universities or higher educational institutions shall decide their own admission policy for admitting students into undergraduate and postgraduate programmes," said K Yogarajan, secretary, AlSEC. While allowing universities and colleges to give preference to local students, it suggested reserving 20% of seats for students from other universities and states to balance local aspirations and integration. The PEP supported the two-language policy. "A student shall learn both the mother tongue and English. In addition, students shall have the option to learn any additional language, and this shall be optional," Yogarajan said. The alternative education policy also demanded an increase in the allocation to education in the union budget to 10% and 6% of the GDP. State govts shall allocate up to 25% of their budget to education. It suggested providing free education from pre-primary to Class XII with funding from union and state govts. The policy wanted to continue with the three-year undergraduate degrees instead of four-year degrees. "Introducing multiple entry and exit is anarchic and will lead to dropouts, leaving these dropouts without jobs. Three-year degrees allow students to complete degrees by twenty years which makes higher eduation affordable," Yogarajan said. PEP also opposed introducing vocational education before Class X. "Education up to Class X should be common to all. The introduction of vocational subjects in upper primary schools will invariably replace some subjects that are presently taught," it said. Yogarajan said the policy will be presented to the union govt and state govts for implementation. "It's the draft policy, and we will make amendments to drafts in the conference to be held in January 2026," he added. The document criticised the NEP, saying it encourages privatisation and commercialisation of education from pre-school to university level, making it difficult for the poor to access quality education.
