Editorial
With the release of the draft of new education policy, the second con-
secutive period of NDA government has made it very clear what they are
intending to do with the education system of the country in the coming
days. The draft of the new education policy 2019, prepared by the former
ISRO chief Kasthurirangan was released to the public and the civil soci-
ety soon after Modi began his second term. Presented in a buttered up
language, the policy contribute for the further commercialisation, com-
munalisation and centralisation of education. In short, the proposed new
education policy cannot provide anything concrete to restructure the
sector, rather its just a vehicle to carry the same old policies with much
more rigour.
One of the most dangerous aspects of the policy is that it undermines the
federal nature of Indian education system and its constitutional values.
In fact, the studies about the conditions of education in various states
necessary for preparing the draft had not been conducted. The absence
of such a study is very visible in the draft released. The primary focus of
the education system should be to make the citizens contribute to the
growth and sustenance of a democratic society. This, in fact, cannot be
achieved when inequality, discrimination and scuttling of rights prevail
in the society.
The draft fails to address the issue of caste discrimination and discrimi-
natory atmosphere prevail in the higher education system of the coun-
try. Moreover, it does not offer any kind of guidance on how to reform
the education field in order to strengthen the fundamental ethos of de-
mocracy. Even though ‘democracy’ is mentioned superficially in some
places, the words ‘secular’ or ‘secularism’ are not found anywhere in the
draft. The report doesn’t have anything to say about the democratisation
of the academic field and the development of a comfortable atmosphere
where students from various backgrounds could confidently engage in
academic activities. The draft could cunningly ensure the agenda that
the students always remain as second class citizens in academia. There
is nothing exciting about the offer that foreign universities will establish
their campuses in the country. Such ‘discoveries’ stem from the absence
of any idea about how universities are established and developed. The
suggestion of inviting global universities ranked by business institutions
instead of equipping more than 700 universities in India to overcome the
existing issues is utterly irrational. It is undoubtedly evident that the new
education policy does not offer any kind of hope to the Indian democ-
racy. What the country needs now is wider and organised resistance.
2 Student Struggle | June - July 2019P R E V I O U S I S S U E