Teachers and students of Delhi universities oppose new policy
new delhi: Teachers and students in Delhi from a variety of universities and educational institutes have called the new National Education Policy (NEP) the corporatisation of education in the country and have even gone as far as to say that it is exclusionary by nature.
As a result, organisations such as the Delhi University Teachers' Association, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association, the JNU students union and other student organisations have launched massive campaigns to protest this draft policy, which was cleared by the Cabinet on July 29.
According to the policy, the NEP envisions an education system rooted in Indian ethos that contributes directly to transforming India, that is Bharat, sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing high-quality education to all, and thereby making India a global knowledge superpower.
Speaking to Millennium Post, Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) Treasurer Dr Abha Dev Habib said that the new policy has no framework in place. "This is not an education policy, it is an exclusion policy. If you look at DU, the student strength is 3,000 to 6,000. How much extra students can they take? If you are bringing out the number of institutions, this means that parents will have to send their children far away from their hometowns to study or students will be pushed to distance learning mode. These are the two ways in which education will be given. This is basically about affordability and accessibility of education," she added.
Dr Abha added that this will also give rise to a coaching system. "Lakhs are spent on coaching. Students who think they will study well in 12th, this policy is taking away their chance," she added.
Numerous student organisations, including JNUSU, SFI, AISA, have also come forward to raise their concerns about the policy. "NEPs willful ignorance with regard to campus democracy and social justice is representative of the kind of academic spaces and activities it visualizes to incorporate. Failing to acknowledge the need to establish a redressal mechanism addressing systemic discrimination while conveniently and consistently highlighting merit-based teacher recruitment, robs the academic space of its potential to catalyse social transformation - both within and out," said Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) in a statement.
Numerous organisations have also launched an online social media campaign regarding the same.
