Relevance : GS Paper II
The draft National Education Policy, 2019 is out in the public domain.
About the draft policy
- Drawn inputs from the T.S.R. Subramanian Committee and K. Kasturirangan Committee reports.
- Covers every aspect of the education sector: school, higher, vocational and adult education.
- Includes the whole gamut of professional education — engineering, medicine, agriculture, law, etc.
- One of its suggestions is to cover children of 3-18 years instead of the present 6-14 years under RTE Act,
- Setting up Special Education Zones in disadvantaged regions.
- Double the Gross Enrolment Ratio from 25% to 50% by 2035.
- Recognises the crucial importance of liberal arts and the study of modern and classical languages.
- Vocational education sought to be integrated with school and higher education.
Challenges in Implementation
- Doubling of public funding to 6% of the GDP does not appear to be feasible.
- Expanding coverage under the RTE Act to include pre-school children should be introduced gradually.
- Idea of setting up the Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog under the Prime Minister and having it serviced by the MHRD is fraught with many administrative problems.
- It is silent on the Institutions of Eminence and agencies like the Higher Education Funding Agency.
- Language issues have to be handled sensitively in view of their emotional overtones.
Conclusion
If the political leadership backs it, implementation of the policy will transform our nation.
