Skip to main content

New education policy 'reduces' children, teachers to consumers in a market system

By Our Representative
Participating in the civil society-sponsored online Janta Parliament, begun on August 16, Prof Shanta Sinha, former chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory body, has regretted that the Government of India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses less on strengthening the Right to Education Act (RTE) Act and instead seeks to reduce students, teachers and citizens to “mere consumers making them subject to the market forces”.
Representatives of NGOs RTE Forum and Nine is Mine, along with several people’s networks like Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), Alliance for Right to Early Childhood Development (ARECD), held the Janta Parliament session on education, discussing issued that have emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic. They passed nine resolutions in order to implement the RTE Act.
Grassroots activists and movements along with youth leaders and children presented testimonies regarding deepening of inequalities in education during the Covid-19 crisis, even as seeking accountability of the state, at the Janta Parliament, which will end on August 19.
Ambarish Rai, national convener, RTE Forum, underlined the need for common school system, regretting, NEP 2020 “doesn’t mention it at all while it has remained a dream for the large common masses of the country since decades with the popular slogan ‘Nirdhan ho ya ho dhanwan, Sabki shiksha ek saman’.”
Farida Bano of the Indian Youth Federation said, despite youth constituting 34 per cent of the population, they are hardly consulted in policy making. Rashmi Maruvada, a disability rights activist of the Indian Youth Federation and West Bengal RTE Forum, said, problems of disabled children and youths go “mostly unheard.”
The Janta Parliament passed resolutions seeking to ensure right to education, health and nutrition of children from migrant families affected because of Covid-19 pandemic; tabling of NEP in Parliament; and extension of the RTE Act, 2009 to children aged 3 to 18 years with provision of the universal school education.
Other resolutions included the need to allocate at least 6% of GDP for education; stopping exclusion of the maginalised communities through online Instruction; explore alternative means amidst the Covid-19 crisis; steps to stop commercialization; and regulation of non-state Actors in education.

Comments

TRENDING

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

'Anti-poor stand': Even British wouldn't reduce Railways' sleeper and general coaches

By Anandi Pandey, Sandeep Pandey*  Probably even the British, who introduced railways in India, would not have done what the Bhartiya Janata Party government is doing. The number of Sleeper and General class coaches in various trains are surreptitiously and ominously disappearing accompanied by a simultaneous increase in Air Conditioned coaches. In the characteristic style of BJP government there was no discussion or debate on this move by the Indian Railways either in the Parliament or outside of it. 

Why convert growing badminton popularity into an 'inclusive sports opportunity'

By Sudhansu R Das  Over the years badminton has become the second most popular game in the world after soccer.  Today, nearly 220 million people across the world play badminton.  The game has become very popular in urban India after India won medals in various international badminton tournaments.  One will come across a badminton court in every one kilometer radius of Hyderabad.  

Faith leaders agree: All religious places should display ‘anti-child marriage’ messages

By Jitendra Parmar*  As many as 17 faith leaders, together for an interfaith dialogue on child marriage in New Delhi, unanimously have agreed that no faith allows or endorses child marriage. The faith leaders advocated that all religious places should display information on child marriage.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Ayurveda, Sidda, and knowledge: Three-day workshop begins in Pala town

By Rosamma Thomas*  Pala town in Kottayam district of Kerala is about 25 km from the district headquarters. St Thomas College in Pala is currently hosting a three-day workshop on knowledge systems, and gathered together are philosophers, sociologists, medical practitioners in homeopathy and Ayurveda, one of them from Nepal, and a few guests from Europe. The discussions on the first day focused on knowledge systems, power structures, and epistemic diversity. French researcher Jacquiline Descarpentries, who represents a unique cooperative of researchers, some of whom have no formal institutional affiliation, laid the ground, addressing the audience over the Internet.

Article 21 'overturned' by new criminal laws: Lawyers, activists remember Stan Swamy

By Gova Rathod*  The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat, organised an event in Ahmedabad entitled “Remembering Fr. Stan Swamy in Today’s Challenging Reality” in the memory of Fr. Stan Swamy on his third death anniversary.  The event included a discussion of the new criminal laws enforced since July 1, 2024.

Hindutva economics? 12% decline in manufacturing enterprises, 22.5% fall in employment

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The messiah of Hindutva politics, Narendra Modi, assumed office as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014. He pledged to transform the Indian economy and deliver a developed nation with prosperous citizens. However, despite Modi's continued tenure as the Prime Minister, his ambitious electoral promises seem increasingly elusive. 

Union budget 'outrageously scraps' scheme meant for rehabilitating manual scavengers

By Bezwada Wilson*  The Union Budget for the year 2024-2025, placed by the Finance Minister in Parliament has completely deceived the Safai Karmachari community. There is no mention of persons engaged in manual scavenging in the entire Budget. Even the scheme meant for the rehabilitation of manual scavengers (SRMS) has been outrageously scrapped.