Modi's New Education Policy is nothing but a blueprint to privatise the education system in India and an attempt by the centre to bring all of it under one roof that will be dictated by the Prime Minister, said the Students' Federation of India (SFI) as they called for a nationwide protest against the education policy that they call a direct attack on federalism. The students' organisation will be burning copies of the NEP 2019 across the country in protest.
The BJP-led NDA government, the General Secretary of SFI, Mayukh Biswas said, had promised to bring out a draft in 2014 when they came to power which they finally achieved only a month back. "The draft attempts to mould the education system to serve the market which can be detrimental for students. They have less or no concern to provide fellowship for our students but are overly eager to provide fellowships and aid to foreign students. The changes in the school education system will only benefit the affluent section. The proposed school complexes, if built, will overshadow the existing government schools in villages and will ultimately shut down," said Mayukh. "The new segregation of classes into primary, middle school and high school will only make it harder for the underprivileged students. Graduating to the next step of education can not just be based on merit in a country like India. These kids do not get the proper education as teachers are not always capable enough. But if you exclude them from the system at an early stage you are denying them the chance to learn, if any, at a later stage,' he added.
SFI cadres across the country marched in protest of the NEP draft and burnt copies of the policy. "From Shimla to Kanyakumari, students are protesting against this anti-student education policy draft," said Mayukh, as he went on to explain why exactly they are vehemently protesting against the proposed policy. "Some of the things they have proposed might seem very advanced and fancy but it will only cater to the advantaged few. Giving an option of choosing subjects to a student in a remote Indian village is only helpful if he has proper knowledge about the subject or has enough knowledge about it to judge which would be better for them," he added.
Students in Presidency University, Kolkata, also participated in the protest along with students from University on Madras, students from institutions in Shimla, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chennai, Tiruchy and Rajapalyam in Tamil Nadu. The students' group is also worried that if the power is consolidated to the PMO, it will only result in interruptions from the government when it comes to grants and the research one is interested in. "A person who is interested in gaumutra research will swiftly avail their grants while someone interested to work on astrophysics will be struggling for a decade," Mayukh voiced their concern. "Moreover students will have to wait for some NGO or philanthropic organisation to come forward and fund their projects. This is unacceptable," he further added.
The GS of the all-India organisation also accused the NEP draft of trying to legalise child labour by giving kids vocational training. "this will never happen the way it is put on paper. All this will do is legalise child labour and worsen the condition of the kids this policy claims to help," he added.
