Page 22 - EW-June-2025

Education News

ant schools. The state government has spirituality or the freedom
strongly, and repeatedly refused to struggle. But then came the
implement NEP 2020 on grounds that rule of the communists.
it infringes upon TN’s cultural iden- After that… she (Mamata)
tity, language policy, and that it over- has turned this great land of
centralises education, a subject on the Bengal into a hub of infiltra-
Concurrent List of the Constitution tion, corruption, atrocities
with state governments also entitled on women, bomb blasts and
to frame and shape education policy. injustices against Hindus,”
“It (NEP 2020) undermines our two- said Amit Shah, addressing
language policy and threatens our cul- a massive rally in Kolkata,
tural identity,” says Stalin. according to a Times of
herefore in June 2023, Stalin India report (June 2).
Tcommissioned a panel chaired by Meanwhile, follow-
Justice (Retd.) D. Murugesan to draft Chief minister Stalin: favourable pendulum? ing repeated scandals in
an alternative State Education Policy teacher recruitment for
for Tamil Nadu. After 12 months of and West Bengal) to implement NEP West Bengal’s 84,000 government
deliberation, the Murugesan Com- 2020 and its three-language formula schools which culminated in the
mittee submitted a 600-page draft in particular. “It (the court) cannot di- Supreme Court scrapping the ap-
SEP to the state government last July rectly compel a state to adopt a policy pointment of 25,735 secondary and
which is expected to be enacted into like NEP 2020. The court may how- higher secondary school teachers on
legislation soon. However, Tamil Na- ever, intervene if a state’s action or April 3, because “the entire recruit-
du’s SEP Act will need the approval inaction related to NEP 2020 violates ment process is irreparably tainted
of the state’s Governor A.N. Ravi, a fundamental rights… We do not pro- and invalid,” the TMC government’s
Central government appointee who pose to examine this issue in this writ latest bloomer in education is that it
was severely reprimanded by the Su- petition,” opined JJ J.B. Pardivala and has failed to resolve the issue of res-
preme Court on April 8 for withhold- R. Mahadevan. ervations for OBCs (Other Backward
ing his assent to several Bills of the In the circumstances, the state Classes/Castes) in government-run
state government. Thereafter, Tamil government’s petition (State of Tamil higher education institutions.
Nadu’s SEP legislation will need the Nadu vs. Union of India) filed under Last year a Centralised Admission
assent of President Droupadi Murmu Article 131 is of great significance, and Portal (WBCAP) was launched with
who is obliged to heed the advice of may well decide the fate of NEP 2020. great fanfare to streamline under-
the (BJP) government at the Centre. Shivani Chaturvedi (Chennai) graduate admissions into 461 state
In short, the state’s SEP has numerous government colleges and 16 universi-
hurdles to cross. WEST BENGAL ties. But this year, the portal is shut
Educationists in Chennai are al- — paralysed by the government’s
most unanimous that the Rs.2,150 Scandals & ineptitude indecision on the issue of OBC reser-
crore due to the state government vations. This has delayed admissions
which has to be distributed between s campaigning for west in all government colleges and uni-
Tamil Nadu’s 45,000 public schools Bengal’s legislative assembly versities statewide. Trapped between
and 6.50 million children, is a periph- Aelection scheduled for early administrative inertia and judicial
eral issue given the state’s allocation 2026 heats up, prime minister Nar- uncertainty, lakhs of students are in
of Rs.55,261 crore for education in its endra Modi and Union home minis- the dark — confused, anxious, with
2025-26 budget. Therefore, the main ter Amit Shah extensively toured the no clarity on when the admission
issue is whether the state government state in May severely criticising the process will begin.
can be forced to implement NEP 2020 ruling Trinamool Congress and chief The back story of reservation for
across Tamil Nadu (pop.77 million). minister Mamata Banerjee now OBCs in government HEIs stretches
However even as Tamil Nadu’s SEP in her third consecutive term in of- back to 2012 when the first TMC gov-
Bill awaits formalisation, the pen- fice. Among the failures of the TMC ernment (fresh after ending 34 years
dulum seems to be swinging in the government, they listed continuous of Communist rule in West Bengal)
DMK government’s favour. On May corruption in teacher recruitment, awarded OBC status to 77 mainly
9, a two-judge bench of the Supreme coal and cattle smuggling, ‘syndicate Muslim communities. As such they
Court dismissed a PIL (public inter- raj’ and extortion by TMC cadres. became entitled to reserved quotas
est litigation) seeking a directive to “Bengal has guided the entire in government colleges and universi-
states (including Tamil Nadu, Kerala nation — be it in knowledge, science, ties and government employment.

22 EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2025