TMC govt move to implement National Education Policy in Bengal creates a stir
Hindustan TimesKOLKATA: The West Bengal government has created a stir in academic circles by asking all universities to implement the four-year undergraduate programme under National Education Policy 2020 from the forthcoming academic session. The Trinamool Congress government ‘s decision has come as a surprise to students, teachers and academicians because TMC and chief minister Mamata Banerjee have opposed NEP, claiming thaat it was an effort by the Bharatiya Janata Party to “saffronise” the country’s education system and open up the sector to private players. The new system, said the circular, will allow “multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary education, integration with vocational courses, internship and skill and ability enhancement courses.” Since education is a subject in the Constitution’s Concurrent list, which gives a state government the power to have a say on implementation of central policies, Mamata Banerjee formed a 10-member experts committee in April 2020 to examine the NEP and make recommendations. Partha Pratim Roy, general secretary of Jadavpur University Teacher’s Association, said the state’s move point at the TMC’s eagerness to allow PPP in the higher education sector as proposed in NEP 2020.