Criticising the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the M.A. Khader committee on reforms in school education has proposed that Kerala may put forward a demand to include education again on the State List of the Constitution.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government recently gave “in-principle” approval to the second part of the panel’s recommendations even as it called for more deliberations on them. In the section on the NEP, the report says that the implementation of the policy could lead to “over-centralisation”, “privatisation”, “commercialisation”, and “communalisation” of education and the government may end up staying away from public-funded education altogether.
It points out that education was on the State List of the Constitution till 1975, when it was included on the Concurrent List. Kerala made significant achievements in the sector, initially by utilising the freedom available for States when it was on the States List, and later exploring the possibilities under the federal setup when it was included on the Concurrent List. Kerala has been able to address the challenges faced by first generation learners. Now, the focus should be on attaining equity and quality. “Over-centralisation of education at the national level could affect Kerala’s educational progress. It is not only a socio-political issue, but an academic issue also. A demand to include education again on the State List can be put forward.”
Evaluation needed
The panel says that the NEP and its implementation project, SARTHAQ, should be thoroughly evaluated in view of Kerala’s situation. The move to first develop a State-specific draft curriculum framework and then examining it at the national level could lead to academic centralisation. The report also criticises the NIPUN project for foundational literacy and foundational numeracy, wondering how much scientific the proposal is. The NEP is “unclear” on the qualification for teachers as well as their training before and after entering service. The plan to have centralised school complexes could deprive students the opportunity to study in schools in their neighbourhood. The idea of “national textbooks with local flavour” is against educational theories.
Meanwhile, the panel has also sought localised studies to understand the impact of the lockdown during the pandemic period on students. There is a possibility of the students exhibiting its socio-emotional impact for some more time. A system should be developed to help students face these challenges, and the teachers and the school setup should be equipped for the purpose. Learning gap among students in different age groups needs a detailed examination as it is important to check if they have gained enough knowledge and basic concepts. Teachers should be taught a methodology to identify such issues, the report says.
Published - August 06, 2024 06:32 pm IST
