Experts voice opposition to new education policy 

Schools are facing closure and research work in universities are under threat after the implementation of NEP 2020, say academics at People’s Parliament

The National Education Policy, 2020, which has been implemented in the country without being presented in Parliament, should be rejected, academic Tharun Kanthi Naskar has said.

He was inaugurating the People’s Parliament organised jointly by the All India Save Education Committee and the Kerala State Janakeeya Prathirodha Samithi here on Saturday.

“Lakhs of government schools are under threat of closure following the implementation of the new education policy in various States. Research works in universities are facing challenges. The Budget share for education has been reduced. The Union Budget has earmarked just 2.9% of GDP for the education of 130 crore people. There is an attempt to rewrite the country’s history. The effort is to destroy the secular fabric of the country and to turn it to a Hindutva country,” he noted.

The NEP-2020, which ignores the federal principles of the country, will be a threat to democratic values, said academic A.P. Mathai. Even the State government failed to raise its voice against the education policy, which destabilised the federal system, he added.

The new policy will destroy the language, culture, and civilisation of the country and has been promoting only the business interests of education, former secretary of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi P.V. Krishnan Nair said.

The People’s Parliament discussed the new education policy. Following the inaugural session, a General Education People’s Parliament was held at the Sahitya Akademi hall and a Higher Education People’s Parliament was held at Changampuzha hall.