CPI rejects NEP 2020, D Raja terms it as an 'assault' on polity of the country

Criticising the newly announced National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has stated that the reform would lead to privatisation, commercialisation and communalisation of the Indian education system. CPI General Secretary D Raja rejected the reform and stated that it was not 'discussed properly' in the Parliament. The Communist party has also sought an immediate reconsideration of the NEP. 

Speaking to ANI, Raja said, "We cannot accept this new education policy. It was not discussed in the parliament properly. It was also not discussed with state governments properly, after all education is on the concurrent list. It is an assault on the polity of our country. India is a country of tremendous diversities and other than Hindi and Sanskrit there are other languages which are very much Indian languages and all those need to be promoted."

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Releasing a statement on the NEP 2020 earlier, the CPI had stated that the reform is an attempt by the government to 'mislead' the people of India. "Clouted in eloquent rhetoric, the NEP brings about changes that will disenfranchise students from socialty and economically backward groups while absolving the State of its responsibility to provide quality education to all. Further, as is symbolic of this Government's policies, the NEP is another example of the over-centralization of key issues and an attempt to erode the federal structure of the Indian Union," the statement had read. 

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National Education Policy 2020

The National Education Policy 2020 introduced by the Centre allows a higher flexibility in higher education and renames the Union Human Resource Development Ministry to the Ministry of Education. A committee led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief Dr. K Kasturirangan formed the Draft National Education Policy 2019 on the foundational pillars of 'Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability.' The new NEP replaces the one formulated in 1986. Rolling out the new features for Higher education, Union Secretary (Higher Education) said that India aims to achieve 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 2035. The new policy also regulates the fee structure under a broad regulatory framework.

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