providing space for the mythical characters of
Vedic age and culture by glorifying the puranas
and ithikasas as value education. The heads of
the various higher educational bodies were
filled with saffron ideologue or personnel ready
to act as per the wishes of the saffron rulers.
The draft Policy stipulates a new structural pattern
in the educational system, the requirement of
which is very much questionable.
School Education: At present 10+2 system
prevails in High School education. The draft
Policy prescribes 5+3+3+4 system from the
age of 3 to 15 years. Now the formal education
starts from 1st standard at the age of 5 years.
Instead as per the new proposal, it starts
from the age of 3 years to 8 years during the
first stage, then above 8 years upto 11 years
in the second stage completing 5th standard.
Above 11 years upto 14 years it covers 6th to 8th
standard. Finally above 14 years upto 18 years,
the students would undergo study in the 9th to
12 th standards. For a country like India, wherein
education was denied to the major sections in
the society historically, commencing education
at the age of 3 years may appear a progressive
one. The gap in educational environments at
school and at the family circles is almost nil for
the sections which had been a monopolised
education historically. From that hierarchy,
the gap expands in the first generation, second
generation and so on educated families and
it becomes very wide in rural areas where the
parents of the students would be either illiterate
or not even completed the primary education.
The tactical prescription of the Policy lies in
conducting tests to identity the learning skill
of the student at the level of 3rd, 5th and 8th
standards. Segregation and discrimination
among the students start from this level! Which
category of students can fair well in such sort of
tests? Only the students from the family where
the learning environment gap is minimal can
do well. The students hailing from the families
where the gap is wide cannot do so for the
historical reasons. By branding such students
as possessing low learning skill. the future of
their study would be decided, in fact finished.
It is nothing but annihilating the future of the
students whose families were denied education
for so many centuries. Automatically such
students would be forced in an implied manner
to discontinue their education and leave seeking
profession carried out by their families. This
was what the Sanatanic (a)dharma advocated
and implemented in the society as a way of
life, so to say ‘divine life’. It was called kula
dharma. What was to be practised as ‘kulakalvi’,
eradicated by the uprisal and the severe
opposition exerted by Periyar, again raises its
head through National Education Policy. It is
only a regressive measure for the education of
the marginalised and underprivileged sections
that has been offered with progressive sugar
coating like formal education starts at the age
of 3 years.
This cunning tactics in offering education
continues as the students proceed further. From
9 th standard upto 12th standard, it is considered
as intermediate education compartmentalised
into 8 semesters, the examinations for which
would be conducted by the educational board
either of government or private.
Examination Boards: Filtering the students
by conducting examination at the level
when they are not aware of their education
at all is projected as a progressive step in the
Policy. This so called progressive process of
conducting examination has been delegated
to the private sector, with the formal approval
of the government. When examinations are
conducted by the government boards, a lot
of malpractices are happening which could
be controlled and set right. But if it is private
sector, the scope for the malpractices will be
enormous. Further the choice of examination
boards either government or private is vested
with the concerned school authorities.
Collegiate Education: The hurdles for free
furtherance of studies is not limited to school
level and it continues while entering the
collegiate education too. Even after passing
through 15 years study at school level by
undergoing various examinations, the marks
obtained are not sufficient to get admission
in college. Again the candidates who have to
appear for entrance tests and that will decide
the admission. National Testing Agency (NTA)
will conduct the entrance cum eligibility test to
all degree courses including B.A., B.Sc., B.Com.,
etc.The Modern RationalistJuly 2019