Former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University E. Balagurusamy has expressed surprise at the lack of an experienced educationist in the committee to frame the State’s education policy.
The committee is headed by a retired judge instead of an educationist, he pointed out: “It is not an inquiry or fact-finding commission. Most members lack required educational background and experience,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Some members, he claimed are “Modi baiters” and some others are “DMK loyalists.” Also, not only did the announcement of the 13-member committee come two years after the introduction of the National Education Policy 2020 but it also gave the committee a year to formulate a policy by which time all the recommendations of the NEP would have been implemented across the country, he contended.
The committee did not have any senior, experienced academicians with “in-depth knowledge in the educational process and governance” though the State had a “galaxy of academic intellectuals who have served at reputed academic and research organisations” he said.
In his view, since education is on the concurrent list the Union government approved national regulations or policy on education would take precedence over the State government policies. Also, national regulatory agencies such as the UGC, AICTE and NMC had drawn up detailed regulations to implement the NEP 2020.
Mr. Balagurusamy felt universities and higher education institutions would face obstacles in receiving funds from central agencies and departments for various developmental and research projects and not qualify for UGC grants or for NAAC and NBA accreditation and NIRF ranking.
Besides, national agencies would not recognise degrees and diplomas offered by state institutions and they may be unable to enhance their educational standards and achievements on a par with other global institutions, he cautioned.
The panel could instead formulate strategies and guidelines for implementing NEP 2020 with the local needs, aspirations and constraints in view. “Even to do this we need a better panel than the one proposed. Setting up a panel appears to be an act of political gimmick rather than a worthy academic pursuit. It is obvious that the government is not really serious about the quality of the proposed State Education Policy,” he has said.
