National Education Policy 2020 (NEP2020) has been launched by the Government of India. As is the tradition in the country, an instant debate has ensued. The debate, however, is a bit subdued. The impact of the proposed policy is yet to sink in. In our country, all issues are weighed from a political perspective. One state government, politically opposed to the party in power at the centre, has already raised its voice declaring that the centre could not impose its policy on the states. Other political entities are probably watching the reactions of the public and the educational institutes. They will only take a stand only after feeling the pulse of the public and weighing them against their political agenda. Many political leaders are incapable of taking a stand because of their lack of basic education. There has been a recent instance when two brothers, both school dropouts adorned the offices of deputy chief minister and health minister of a state!
NEP2020 looks good. Of course, my opinion hardly matters.
The policy engulfs a few new concepts.
The current system of pre-school or play schools will be
under the overall education package. Earlier, this period of infant education
was left in the hands of private entrepreneurs.
Students will have the choice of opting out at any stage and
be entitled to a certificate confirming the level of their education. This is
expected to eradicate the stigma of being branded as a drop out.
Choice of subjects will be flexible. One can study physics with Sanskrit, mathematics
with anthropology and economics with biology. This will cease the categorisation
of Arts, Science and Commerce.
The role of the Boards will gradually decline and schools
will be empowered to enjoy a degree of autonomy unprecedented in India.
There will be focus on vocational training during the
process to ensure job eligibility when one steps out to the professional domain.
Students will also have the option of adopting their mother
tongue or any other regional language as the medium of education, up to a certain
grade.
So far so good but an irritating question has not been
addressed. Will the new policy liberate the students from the curse of the menace
called private tuition? It is openly acknowledged that there is a parallel and
thriving education system, where the students and guardians get sucked in.
Decades ago, a student, weak in a particular subject sought
the help of the teachers outside school hours. The teachers obliged and charged
a nominal fee to supplement their meagre salary. A private arrangement between
a teacher and student has grown into a profitable business over the years.
Teachers are much better paid these days but additional inflow of money is hard
to resist. In course of time, the individual enterprise expanded into large
empires and adopted a new identity, - Tutorial Homes. Funny enough, guardians resist
any hike in school fees and resort to agitation if the school administrations
suggest fee increase but they are quiet about similar increase by the Tutorial
Homes. These Tutorials earned the reputation of successfully preparing students
for entrance examinations to reputed colleges and university and guardians are
ready to pay a little extra if needed. The entire scenario exposes a huge credibility
gap as far as the schools are concerned. The system implies that the schools
are unable to educate their students and guardians are forced to outsource the
teachings to unrecognised institutes. Students follow two parallel systems simultaneously
with the schools paying minor roles. This additional burden robs the children
of their childhood.
Tutorial home are big business. The owners make money.
Teachers supplement their income substantially. Students willy-nilly participate
in the hope of a lucrative future.
The wrought had gone so deep, it would be a herculean task to
uproot the system. Most of these tutorial homes are owned by politicians and
their cronies. Therefore, right or wrong, the parallel system will continue to
prosper.
Kolkata, 10 September 2020
