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"Form committee to study responsibilities of Centre-state for strong public education": PAFRE

It urged the states to recognise their role under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List, which makes education — at all levels — also the responsibility of state governments

EdexLive Desk

Welcoming the resolution passed by the Education Ministers’ Conference in Karnataka to reject the the University Grants Commission (UGC) Draft Regulations (2025), the People’s Alliance for Fundamental Right to Education (PAFRE) demanded the formation of a high-level committee to study the respective responsibilities of the central and state governments in building a strong public education system.

The organisation further suggested that the committee refers to the recommendations of Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi Commission (2007-2010) and earlier reports on centre-state relations, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

PAFRE argued that such consensus-driven guidelines would enable statutory bodies like the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), UGC, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to formulate policies, rules, and laws in alignment with the federal principles of the Constitution.

Without such a framework, the organisation warned that these conferences risk becoming mere political battles between the centre and states rather than real efforts to strengthen public education.

PAFRE noted that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was met with widespread protests and resistance across the country for being unconstitutional, undemocratic, and a move to centralise, privatise, corporatise, and communalise education and the latest UGC draft regulations are yet another attempt to impose policies that were previously rejected by the people.

The association stressed that the resolution should not remain a mere political reaction but should translate into concrete efforts by state governments to strengthen higher education on a decentralised basis.

It urged the states to recognise their role under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List, which makes education — at all levels — also the responsibility of state governments, according to a report by The New Indian Express.

Development Educationist Professor Niranjanaradhya VP said conflicts over education policy have persisted since Independence, but it is time to end these disputes and clearly define the constructive roles of both the centre and states in shaping a strong public education system — from pre-primary to higher education.

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