Congress-ruled states will prepare comprehensive action plans for reforms in the education sector within a month following consultations with education experts and other stakeholders, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said.
The decision was taken at a meeting of Congress chief ministers and education ministers convened by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party general secretaries and state in-charges also attended the meeting.
Venugopal said the discussions focused on education reforms and on how Congress-ruled states could develop their own approaches to the sector. He said the states would work towards becoming "model states" in education.
What will the states do?
As part of the proposed process, each Congress-ruled state will organise education seminars involving experts and other stakeholders. The recommendations from these consultations will be used by the respective chief ministers to prepare detailed action plans within a month.
A national-level seminar with education experts will subsequently be organised to discuss a mechanism for implementing and coordinating the proposed plans across the states.
The meeting also covered examination reforms and issues concerning students and the wider education system. Congress has been raising concerns over examination irregularities, paper leaks, cancelled and delayed examinations and the cost of education through its student-focused campaign, Chhatron Ki Goonj.
Congress raises concerns over RSS role
The meeting also had a political component, with the Congress discussing what it describes as the RSS's influence over education.
Venugopal said the chief ministers would make presentations on the party's allegations regarding the RSS's role in the education system, including its claim that RSS-backed vice-chancellors are being appointed to influence higher education. These are allegations made by the Congress as part of its political position on education policy.
The Congress has previously criticised changes in curricula and appointments in higher education, arguing that they reflect an ideological influence on education. The BJP and its ideological affiliates have rejected such allegations and defended education changes as part of broader reforms.
What happens next?
The immediate step is for the Congress-ruled states to conduct their respective consultations and prepare state-specific action plans within a month. The proposed national seminar will then consider how the recommendations can be implemented across the states.
The initiative follows a Congress Working Committee decision in August calling for state-specific reports on education reforms and a comprehensive "Education-to-Employment Roadmap".