ent educational departments. This does not
suffice to comment on the different aspects
of education. Even in the list of organisa-
tions and eminent personalities the com-
mittee consulted prior to the preparation the
NEP does not include the representatives of
many marginalised communities and dif-
ferent important stake holders of education
because of which many aspects of exclusion
have not been addressed with the vigour it
demands. The committee also failed to listen
the student organisations including the SFI
and democratically elected students unions
in different campuses which have been work-
ing actively for the betterment of the people
of academic communities and to address the
concerns they are raising over and again. We
have also witnessed a lot of educational ex-
periments taken place in different states in
the country over the last seven decades of
independence following which commend-
able progressive results have been produced.
The public school education in Kerala, the
strongest public funded school system in In-
dia, is one among them. Unfortunately, the
committee could not study any of those prop-
erly to draw examples from such successful
initiatives. Not only more time, but a more
inclusive process is needed before preparing
a policy which may bring gigantic changes in
the Indian society as a whole, not limiting to
the education sector per se. Here are some of
the problematic elements in the NEP.
Any policy document prepared for the gov-
ernment to implement in any field must be
framed under the constitutional parameters
and also invocate the constitutional values
and goals. The constitution does not find
such a space and rank in the NEP. According
to the chairman of the drafting committee,
Dr. Kasturirangan, the attempt is “to create
a new system that is aligned with the aspira-
tional goals of 21st century education, while
remaining consistent with India’s traditions
and value systems”. What is evident is that
the makers of NEP have forgotten that the
constitution of India itself is made fighting
the many so-called traditions and value sys-
tems existed/existing in the country.Attack on Federal Character of the country
and educationWhile drawing down the essential general
character Indian education system ought to
have, the NEP thrusts to create an “India-
centred” education system that will lead
to the creation of an “equitable and vibrant
knowledge society”. But many of the pro-
posed structural changes are standing con-
tradictory to the actual sense of this. The
NEP does not consist of proficient sugges-
tions to achieve this, rather goes absolutely
against the spirit of ‘Indianness’ in education
sector. No reform can be made in education
system without taking the federal character
of our country into central consideration.
Keeping the state also at the central stage of
decision making and charting out the plans
and implementation is important since the
country cannot afford to have a homogene-
ous structure in education, neither in aca-
demic nor in administrative levels. Educa-
tion, especially the school level education
was supremely handled by state government
in India till 1970s. Therefore all states could
design its educational sector according to
their own specific needs and conditions. It
was during the emergency period, the Indira
Gandhi government changed it to the con-12 Student Struggle | June - July 2019