After a delay of over two months, the TSR Subramanian Committee submitted its report on the New Education Policy on Friday. Though the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry did not reveal the content of the report, it is believed that the document talks about improving the quality of education in the country. Given the mushrooming of educational institutions, the quality of education is suffering the most.
The new policy, which comes after three decades, talks about providing solutions to several challenges being faced by the education sector, including quality of teaching in schools and higher institutes, employability, regulation of private education, internationalisation of higher education and a possible restructuring of education regulators scuh as University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE).
However, the report is not final as, according to an HRD ministry official, it would be first assessed by the ministry and put for “public views” before a final draft is prepared. According to the official, the report talks about evaluating its contents and can be ‘revised’ for students. “The panel has submitted its report and now it is our job to make the final draft. The draft would be ready in two months as it has already been delayed,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
The committee was supposed to submit its report on the New Education Policy in February, but Subramanian fell ill and the report got delayed.
The five-member panel, headed by former Cabinet Secretary TS Subramanian, had in December asked the ministry to extend the time of submitting the final draft till February-end as consultation with states had not been completed then. HRD Minister Smriti Irani had in September 2015 said the visit to states would continue till October-end as she had set the target to bring the draft of the new education Bill by December.
Former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra, former Delhi home secretary Sevaram Sharma, former chief secretary of Gujarat, Sudhir Mankad and former director of National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) JS Rajput were the other members of the committee.