Lips tight on NEP, political parties 'accept' privatization, communalisation of education

By Prem Singh*
During the assembly elections of the five States, which lasted for about a month, much of the debate was lost to accusations and counter-accusations between parties and leaders. Even in newspapers, magazines, online and social media and TV channels, no serious discussions were heard on major issues. The New Education Policy (NEP) was no exception.
Well-known educationist Prof Anil Sadgopal confirmed this while talking to me. He regretted, to the best of his knowledge, no national or regional political party participating in the elections raised issues related with NEP even in their manifestos.
Twenty two farmer organizations affiliated with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) participated in the Punjab Assembly elections by forming a political party, the Samyukta Samaj Morcha (SSM). But the issue of NEP was not included in its manifesto or other documents/speeches.
No doubt, the SKM leadership played an active role in the elections with an appeal to defeat BJP. However, NEP was not an issue even in their statements or press briefings.
There was some debate between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the Punjab model of education versus Delhi model of education before the assembly elections. But these were superficial, remaining confined to the level of 'my school/ classroom is smarter than your sschool classroom'!
Sanket Upadhyay held a program on NDTV India among the youth of Uttar Pradesh on the question of employment and education during the fourth phase of elections. He organizes good and pleasant debates while doing ground reporting. He doesn’t get agitated during debates, nor do people on any side who argue with him get agitated.
There were youth participants from BJP, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress in the programme. All the participants were wearing colours of their respective parties. A Samajwadi participant was wearing the red cap of the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha. He was giving a tough fight to the BJP participants by speaking loudly and without his turn.
Here, too, no one raised the issue of NEP. In the programme, the Congress youth were represented by young ladies. One of them mentioned just half a sentence against NEP while trying to put forward her point of view in the debate. But neither the moderator nor any other participant allowed the issue of NEP to be a point of discussion.
Even student or youth organizations at national and regional levels did not raise the demand to protest against or review NEP. Similar was the situation with teachers' organizations across the country.
The budget for the year 2022-23 was presented in Parliament during the election campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that specific provisions have been made in the budget in order to effectively implement NEP. He, while quoting NEP, also clarified that online/ digital education would be a guarantee for quality education for all in the country.

Government, along with university officials, campaigned non-stop using online platforms in favour of NEP

No party or leader busy in election campaign made NEP a subject of his or her statement or speech taking a cue from the Prime Minister's speech in Parliament.
During the Corona pandemic, all the universities of the country were closed for two years. Meanwhile, the government, along with the university officials, campaigned non-stop using online platforms in favour of NEP. One of the reasons behind the closure of universities, especially the University of Delhi, appeared to be the belief that, as soon as the universities opened, protests would start against NEP.
There are about hundred colleges/ institutions associated with the Delhi University situated in a single city. Apart from the Delhi University, there are five more universities here. Delhi is also the capital city. Therefore, demonstrations taking place here are echoed across the country. All the universities in Delhi were opened during the assembly elections. But there was no demonstration against NEP.
NEP will have a decisive impact on the education system of India. One wonders whether by not talking about NEP, we have accepted privatization/ marketisation/ communalisation of education as well as its trivialisation. By doing so, have we absolved ourselves forever of the responsibility of inheriting the legacy of educationists of modern India?
The disappearance of the issue of NEP from the debate of five assembly elections, which are considered to be the semi-final to the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, can be considered an indication of that.
---
*Associated with socialist movement, former teacher at the Delhi University, fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla

Comments

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

'Serious violation of international law': US pressure on Mexico to stop oil shipments to Cuba

By Vijay Prashad In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security—a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council—which permits sanctions under strict conditions—the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

The Galgotia model: How India is losing the war on knowledge

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Galgotia is the face of 'quality education' as envisioned by those who never considered education a tool for social change or national uplift — and yet this is precisely the model Narendra Modi pursued in Gujarat as Chief Minister. In the mid-eighties, when many of us were growing up, 'Nirma' became one of the most popular advertisements on Doordarshan. Whether the product was any good hardly seemed to matter.

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

Search This Blog