Page 18 - EducationWorld October 2020

Education News

surviving with a wafer thin major- the nation by the BJP/NDA govern-
ity, and has numerous other crises ment at the Centre has aroused the
including the emergence of Karna- chief minister’s ire. Emerging from a
taka and its administrative capital governors’ conference staged virtually
Bangalore as major Coronavirus on September 7, attended by President
hotspots on its mind, to grasp the Ram Nath Kovind and prime minister
schools reopening nettle in the near Narendra Modi to debate NEP 2020,
future. At the best of times neither West Bengal education minister Par-
the Congress nor BJP government tha Chatterjee declared that the
have paid much attention to public state won’t be implementing the new
education riddled with textbooks policy “for the time being” because its
printing, teacher recruitment rackets provisions need additional examina-
and English language aversion. Even tion and debate. Chatterjee expressed
as most private English medium apprehension that NEP 2020’s higher
schools in India’s IT capital have education regulation proposals will
switched to online learning. Children lead to centralisation of education
in the state’s 46,000 government and will defeat the main purpose of
and estimated 14,000 budget private the new policy.
schools are paying a high price for “We have expressed our reserva-
government dithering. tions about certain aspects of NEP
Special Correspondent (Bangalore) 2020, which was framed without tak-
ing the states into confidence. Exces-
WEST BENGAL sive centralisation in the new policy is NEP 2020 will play a decisive role in
NEP 2020 antagonism against the federal structure of India. the forthcoming assembly elections.
aintenance of law and order is
Moreover, we are surprised that Ben-
gali — the language of Rabindranath Malso emerging as a major issue.
ith the west bengal legisla- Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, There’s been a sharp spike in grass-
tive elections scheduled for Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay among roots political violence. Since the
WMay 2021 fast approach- others — does not figure in the list of beginning of the phased unlocking
ing, the state’s ruling Trinamool classical languages in this new educa- of industry and commercial activity,
Congress party (TMC) has reportedly tion policy,” he added. 12 political workers — six of the BJP,
drawn up a multi-pronged strategy to While NEP 2020 which formalises five of TMC — have been killed, and
take on its principal challenger, the and integrates early childhood care an MLA and three BJP party workers
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ruling and education (ECCE) with primary have committed suspicious suicides.
at the Centre, which has emerged as schooling, extends the years of K-12 However, while Mamata Banerjee
the second-largest party in the state, education and unbundles supervi- looms over Bengal politics, BJP lacks
eclipsing the CPM (Communist Party sion of higher education, has been a credible face in the state.
of India-Marxist) which ruled over welcomed as a ‘visionary’ document Banerjee’s advantage is her image
West Bengal (pop.91 million) unin- across the country, in Bengal it was built up over the past ten years as a
terruptedly for 34 years (1977-2011) greeted with a volley of protests from caring politician who has introduced
until it was routed by TMC in 2011 and all quarters including ministers, po- welfare schemes such as distribution
again five years later. Campaigning for litical leaders, academics and student of bicycles to girl children of poor
a third term in office, TMC supremo unions. In a state where communist households, providing subsidised
and chief minister Mamata Baner- ideology has struck deep roots, the rice, undertaking public work projects
jee has made law and order and socio- major grievances are commercialisa- to generate employment and the like.
economic development — including tion of education, lack of consultation Moreover, in recent years, she has
education — her main campaign is- with states, omission of several rec- been working on improving her image
sues. The heinous gang-rape and mur- ommendations of the Kasturirangan with Kolkata’s influential bhadralok
der of a young Dalit girl in BJP-ruled Committee’s policy draft, increasing (cultured middle class) by placing
Uttar Pradesh (Hathras) allegedly by administrative expenses by forming education high on her reforms agenda.
four upper caste men prompted Ba- multiple regulatory agencies and re- The TMC’s electoral calculus is
nerjee to call a huge protest rally in jecting India’s cultural and historical that with a history of secular ideology,
Kolkata on October 3. diversity. The list is long. Indeed some Bengal’s electorate is likely to vote in
Moreover, the new National Educa- monitors of West Bengal’s increas- a secular government to power rather
tion Policy (NEP) 2020 presented to ingly bubbling political scene believe than the BJP, strongly identified with

18 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2020