Centre needs to enact laws to make 6 pc of GDP expenditure on education: Sisodia on NEP

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Monday asserted that the central government needs to enact laws making 6 percent of the GDP’s expenditure on education in order to make the  National Education Policy (NEP) a success. He also stressed on moving away from the slavery of rote learning and examination-oriented education at a video conference meeting that was organised by the Union education ministry on the role of NEP 2020 in transforming higher education.

The video conference meeting was also attended by President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governors, Lt.Governors and Education Ministers of various states. The participants observed that it was necessary to put the National Education Policy into practice rather than restricting it to only 'wishful thinking'.

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'NEP lacks action plan'

"The new national education policy lacks an action plan to implement it. The implementation of this policy should be carefully planned so that it is not limited to just a wonderful idea. Even after 73 years of independence, we hide the shortcomings of our governments by blaming Macaulay," he said.

Adding further Sisodia who is also the education minister in the National Capital said that "in the year 1968 and 1986, new education policies were formulated. Macaulay is used as an excuse to hide the failures in the implementation of those policies. Macaulay did not stop us from implementing our own education policy since independence," he said.

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He also said the National Education Policy emphasis on vocational education and about 80 percent of the youth having a degree are not considered employable.

"This needs our attention. Even after completing 20 years of education, if our students are not employable then where does the fault lies? It is inappropriate to treat vocational degree differently from an undergraduate degree in any other subject. These courses should be given equal importance, then only we will be able to reap their benefits," Sisodia said.

Noting that the policy talks about spending 6 percent of GDP on education, he said it is necessary to put national education policy into practice. "This policy talks about spending 6 percent of GDP on education. It has been said in the 1968 policy as well but never implemented. A law should be made so that successive governments are bound by it and the necessary resources needed for effective implementation of the policy can be guaranteed," Sisodia said. 

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(With ANI inputs)