Education: Its Significance:
The purpose of getting education should neither be to achieve distinction nor to get job, but emancipation. An individual is made up of different entities. Education should bring integration of these different entities and this should make difference between personal and individual. Education should aim not only upon training of individuals but should bring a completeness. In other words, education should bring significant change in the life of a person rather acquiring knowledge and co-relating the facts with the said knowledge. Education should help to get lasting values.
Right Kind of Education
In the words of ALBERT EIENSTIEN: Education is not the learning of facts but training of the mind to think. Making a person to equip technically may help him to earn but he will be lacking in creative understanding. Technical knowledge will never resolve one’s inner, psychological pressures and conflicts. Hence right kind of education should be to help an individual become mature and blossom in goodness. Education should bring an individual into an integrated person.
Right kind of education is not possible en masse. Every child should be observed of their tendency, temperament, difficulties etc for which patience and alertness is required. The school should find out what field a particular student is interested and his ambition. The education should help the student to develop his capacity and also in understanding his own interest. Thus, the school should not be a giver of information alone but it should point out the way for his wisdom.
Sustainable Development Goals and NEP 2020
The UN has declared 2020-2030 as the “decade for action” towards achieving, SDGs. SDG 4 on Quality Education has been formulated as:
4.2.- Equal access to quality pre-primary education.
4.3. Equal Access to affordable Technical and Vocational Education.
4.4. Increase the number of people with relevant skills for financial success.
4.5 Eliminate discrimination in Education.
4.6. Universal literacy and numeracy.
Towards achieving SDG, the NEP 2020 has been formulated. NEP 2020 was approved on 29.07.2020 by the Union Cabinet. The policy replaces 34-year-old system and aims in bringing wide reforms in the education system of school and higher education with an ultimate object of strengthening India as a global power.
During the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in 1985, the name of Ministry of Education was changed to Human Resource Development (HRD) and the present NEP has again renamed as Education Ministry with an aim of promoting “ Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”
In so far as School Education is concerned, NEP aims at:
- To focus more on core concepts.
- To impart vocational education from 6th
- Introducing 5 + 3 + 3+ 4 structure with respective age group of 3-8, 8-11, 11-14 and 14-18 Years.
It will be seen that the policy focuses on overall development of the students and it aims at equipping student with
# Essential learning, practical and critical thinking and experimental thinking.
# Flexibility in choosing subject- promote individuality
# Co-curricular activities and vocational activities and academic streams will be regarded as the same.
# Internship will be imparted from 6th grade onwards.
Besides, the NEP promotes Regional/Local Language by making it as medium of instruction till 5th or 8th. Sanskrit will be optional third language. Formative assessment will be adopted instead of summative as this will enhance student’s development and learning skills. The NEP ultimately aims to increase the analytical, critical and conceptual thinking of the student. The NEP equally focuses on the socially and economically disadvantage group.
Tamilnadu and NEP
In Tamilnadu massive furore against NEP has been raised which got buttress from the present government lead by DMK. Earlier the TN Government (Under AIADMK) has formed high level committees to study the NEP in order to advise the government on two – language policy and other issues.
The strong opposition came from certain “stakeholders” and they relate to
- Demoralises Federal Character – Higher education is to be regulated by central agency (against Art.246)
- Regulation of universities is a state subject but NEP demands amendment to constitution and right of minorities to administer educational institution will also get affected.
- State financial burden will be high as its government Colleges have to maintain the prescribed grade.
- The social and linguistic institutes will get affected.
- Children in urban elite may find a new hobby in these vocational courses and children from rural areas especially those follow parents’ profession, will be entrapped in these jobs.
- Opposition was made on the ground of 3 language policy at school level and has been suggested that schemes implemented for school education should be State specific.
It will be seen that NEP 2020 is a policy but not a law or rule or regulation. NEP has been framed with a holistic view of achieving SDG. The scheme, no doubt, for its effective implementation, requires co-ordination from all the stake holders including the state government. Being a welfare state every institution is bound to implement Part IV of the Constitution which aims at socialistic pattern of society. Moreover, it will be seen that the so-called objections have been raised only under the pretext of violation of federal structure. However, the entire NEP 2020 aims at improving the quality of education in a comprehensive manner. The integrative approach in improving the quality of education is the backdrop of NEP as it is the duty of the state to apply Part-IV while framing any policy or laws. Ours is a quasi-federal and not purely federal and hence in the absence of nationalist sentiments engrossed in the minds of power centred persons would only generate obnoxious selfishness and not cohesion.
On a reading of NEP, it clearly states that the reason for establishing is to end the fragmentation of higher education by transforming higher education institutions into large multidisciplinary universities, colleges. The policy clearly envisages the problems in the erstwhile system. The alleged objectors cannot deny the existence of enumerated of problems in the erstwhile system. In regard to Minority institutions, the NEP has not curtailed any of their rights as the framers of the policy were also aware of the constitutional mandates in regard to the minority. Moreover, the NEP has no provisions which are against Arts. 30 or 350-A.
Regarding the 3-language policy the NEP says that wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language. Thereafter, the home/local language shall continue to be taught as a language wherever possible. NEP clearly says that the three-language formula will continue to be implemented while keeping in mind the Constitutional provisions, aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union, and the need to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity. However, there will be greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any State. While so, embarking on a non-issue clearly shows the political apathy.
Undiluted myth is the reason for the opposition to NEP by the TN State politicians. Tamilnadu State Education Minister Mr. Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi advised the bureaucrats to boycott the virtual meeting with Education department Secretaries conveyed on 17.05.2021 by the Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on the ground of protest that union minster preferred directly interacting with the officials rather than state ministers.
The committees constituted by it has not submitted its report and consequently the government has not framed or issued any statement about the “objections” to the NEP as a whole. While so, taking advantage of the fact that the state machinery is the primary implementing force, the boycott of this meeting and consequently show of passiveness does not augment well for the cohesive functioning of federalism. Also this has deprived the State to put forth its stand on NEP. Rationally thinking, it is only a political gimmick, either it may be of his own or His Master’s Voice, made only to confront rather with no positive attitude.
As already stated, the NEP is based on SDG. Being a signatory India is bound to implement through its policy in achieving SDG. But in the absence of nationalistic vision implementation of any policy much less NEP, would be like the blockade on smooth functioning of quasi-feudalistic character. Hope the following quotes of Swami Vivekananda would be a solution.
“Whether the leadership of Society be in the hands of those who monopolise learning or wield the power of riches or arms., the source of its power is always the subject masses. By so much as the class in power severs itself from this source, by so much is it sure to become weak. But such is the strange irony of fate, such is the queer of Maya, that they from whom this power is directly or indirectly drawn, by far means or fond -by deceit, stratagem, force or by voluntary- gift they soon cease to be taken into account by the leading class”
Source: 1. Swami Vivekananda on India and Her Problems; Compiled by Swami Nirvedananda
- Education and the Significance of Life- J.Krishnamurti
- National Educational Policy 2020
(Shri Baskar, Advocate)
