Karnataka: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday condemned the scrapping of the NEP by Karnataka as "anti-student" and asked the state's Congress dispensation not to play with the futures of the young generation. The minister also came down heavily on Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, saying his "preposterous" statements on the National Education Policy (NEP) may please his political masters in Delhi but compromises the interests of students of Karnataka.
Speaking to reporters, Pradhan said, "NEP is a future document for the 21st century, not a political document. NEP is about (the) new emerging technology of the 21st century. It is about skills-based education in the school system." He further said, "What kind of politics (do) they want to play? Let politics take its own route and the Karnataka government should not play with the futures of the young generation."
Furthermore, he also emphasized Indian toys, games, play-based learning and ‘Chennemane’ (a traditional game of wooden blocks with holes) in Karnataka. "Does he and the Congress party oppose early childhood care and education as a part of formal education? Does he not want our children to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy by the time they complete grade 2?" said Pradhan.
Karnataka's New State Education Policy:
Karnataka Government has formed a special committee to build the New State Education Policy which will be implemented in the next academic year. Speaking about specific examinations such as NEET and CUET which has a prominent role in the Indian education system, Pradhan asked questions which included "Bharatiya Bhasha".
"Does he not want examinations such as NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), CUET (Common University Entrance Test), and JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) to be conducted in Bharatiya bhasha, including Kannada, transparently?" Pradhan asked.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, said his "preposterous" statements on the National Education Policy (NEP) may please his political masters in Delhi but compromises the interests of students of Karnataka.
In a post in Kannada in the microblogging site X, Shivakumar said, "After coming to power, we promised to cancel the National Education Policy and we are committed to that promise. What is the rush to implement NEP first in Karnataka? Why has NEP not been implemented in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh?"
(We are on WhatsApp. To get latest news updates, Join our Channel. Click here)
