A group of noted educationists and cultural icons have appealed to the State government to withdraw from its efforts to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which, they fear, could undo the progress attained by Kerala in the field of education.
In a joint statement issued by the All India Save Education Committee, over 50 personalities, including literary critics M.K. Sanoo and M. Leelavathi, veteran journalist B.R.P. Bhaskar, writer Sarah Joseph and poet K.G. Sankara Pillai, caution that the adoption of the Central policy could have far-reaching consequences for Kerala.
They feel the proposed move to permit private and foreign universities, and autonomous colleges could destroy the essence of the famed Kerala model of education. Besides, the Kerala School Curriculum Framework is part of the government’s strategy to devolve its responsibilities in the sector to the local bodies, they allege.
According to them, NEP 2020 aims at reducing schools and colleges into mere “vocational training institutes” tasked with churning out workers who are adept at operating machines in the job market and not intelligent humans. They also recommend phasing out permanent teachers from the pre-primary level to higher education and encourage hiring ‘helpers’ instead on contract or daily-wage basis.
Moreover, Classes I and II will be made part of the pre-primary education and left to anganwadis. The move could lead to a complete collapse of elementary education, they caution.
