Contrary to govt stand, Edu Dept officials promote NEP-2020
Vishav Bharti
Chandigarh, December 26
Officials of the Education Department seem to have given two hoots to the Punjab Government’s stand on the Centre’s New Education Policy (NEP)-2020.
Last year, the state government had announced to make its own education policy instead of adopting the NEP. However, officials have been singing paeans to the policy.
Recently, the State Council of Educational Research & Training, Punjab, asked contributors to write papers for a book “NEP-2020: Transforming and Reforming School Education in India”.
Interestingly, any idea of critically analysing the NEP-2020 seems to have been completely ignored when one takes a look at the sub-themes. The eight sub themes given in the public notice include challenges and opportunities in implementing the NEP 2020, curricular reform and pedagogy in schools, technological integration in education, assessment and evaluation reform, continuous professional development, inclusivity and diversity in education, skill development and vocational education and teacher education-pre service.
Earlier this month, the Punjab School Education Board organised a five-day long workshop which also talked about changing curriculum in which experts emphasised on revising curriculum of Class VI, VII and VIII as per the NEP-2020.
Avikesh Gupta, Director, State Council of Educational Research and Training, refused to comment on the issue.
Last month, the state government had drawn a flak from the Opposition for silently implementing the NEP-200 through the Department of Higher Education.
Senior SAD leaders and former education minister Dr Daljit Cheema had expressed shock that even as Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal governments had refused to implement the NEP-2020, the Higher Education Department was holding meetings with the university administration to implement the new policy.
Punjabi Sahit Akademi had flagged the issue that new policy would reduce credits given to Punjabi in the syllabus.
The experts have already expressed concern that NEP-2020 is an attempt to reduce the importance of regional languages – be it at the higher education level or the school level – in the name of framing single national policy.
Education Minister Harjot Bains said Director State Council of Educational Research & Training’s call for papers should be taken as promotion of the NEP-2020. “It is an open judgment, so one can criticse the policy also,” he said.
‘Against regional languages’
- Last year, the AAP govt announced formulation of its own education policy instead of adopting the NEP-2020
- The experts have expressed concern that NEP-2020 is an attempt to reduce the importance of regional languages
- The State Council of Educational Research & Training asked contributors to write papers for the book “NEP-2020: Transforming and Reforming School Education in India”
- The Punjab School Education Board organised a five-day workshop, wherein experts stressed change of curriculum for classes VI, VII and VIII as per the NEP-2020
