No discussion in Parliament on NEP
Pandemic crisis turned into opportunity to push for privatisation in education
The Cabinet approved the Draft New Education Policy today. While the govt claims that it is aimed at increasing access to and equity in education, the closer understanding of the details reveal otherwise. The approved NEP will further systemise the marginalisation of the socially and economically marginalised sections of the society.
◆ Multiple entry/exit in higher education essentially means that only students with good financial condition will be able to complete their degree. The poorer Students will have to settle for a diploma. What could have been the alternative? The govt could have brought out scholarship schemes to assist every student in completing their degree, without worrying about earning for themselves or their families.
◆ Higher Education has been turned into a McDonald's shop with "Credit Banks". So if a student has a lot of money, the student can do more credits, just like one can order burger with loads of cheese at McD and coke if one has more money, while others would have to settle for a mini burger.
◆ Colleges and universities will have graded autonomy. Accreditation ratings will decide the degree of autonomy of an institute. So an institute with much higher accreditation can increase its fees, thereby excluding the poor from quality education.
◆ Institutes have to give self declaration, and no inspection will happen. So an institute can declare the state of its teaching learning, infrastructure, fees and other details as it suits them.
◆ There has been emphasis on starting online education in top 100 universities. This is nothig but a policy to excludethe marginalized from education system. Similarly the stress on distance education goes against the idea of education.
◆ UGC and other regularly bodies has been disbanded to form Higher Education Regulatory Authority, which will be a body for dealing with financing, deciding on syllabus and other administrative functions. The Board of Governors model of governance will centralise and destroy autonomy and academic excellence.
◆ The NEP also states that there would be no difference between private and public institutions, which signals to a massive withdrawal of the govt from funding public institutes.
Behind the veil of inclusion, there is nothing but provisions for exclusion. AISA will come up with a detailed analysis soon. The preliminary reading shows, the draft is nothing but a model to privatise education with exclusion as its sole motive. AISA rejects the anti education draft and demands it be immediately withdrawn and first discussed in the parliament.
