A critic of the NEP:
Reminder : this is a critic post, yes, there are quite a few pros in the Nep, but that has already been heavily discussed across media etc.
The present NEP has received quite a warm welcome from most sections of the society. However, i see the NEP as more problematic than anything else. First things first, I have issues with the author of the NEP itself, K. Kasturirangan. Legend has it that this man is actually a know all. He knows everything, from environment to education. Do you remember madhav gadgil report on western ghats asking mining at western ghats to be stopped? You remember once that committee report was revoked who formed the new committee, and how he relaxed all restrictions wrt mining at western ghats? Yes. There we have it. THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND.
One should firstly take a deep reading of the NEP draft firstly to know where this is coming from. Now, for all the love ushered on since the days of NEP draft, this is prolly the 4th so called "celebrated committee on education" we have had since independence. What changed? What will change? That needs reading through the finer print of the policy
A.Creation of Samajik Chetna Kendras
Reminds me of what happened in German schools during bismarck and French schools during Napoleon. In any case, do expect nothing more but an all round shilling of shakha based indoctrination in these kendras, all at the cost of your tax money.
B.Defunding and financial autonomy to colleges and univs and calling for financial independence by 2032
Let us not forget how NITI ayog has been aggressively pushing HECI and a full on market based fee fixation of University courses. In other words, they have been pushing for a monopoly of private institutions. Lets not forget, in any case the case of Institutions of Eminence, where KIIT AND JIO Institution are "greenfield institutes of excellence". Remember, how in the previous budgets, there has been an aggressive push towards pushing the educational institutions to "GET FUNDING VIA EXTERNAL.COMMERCIAL BORROWING", which would inadvertently involve, a huge exchange rate issue.
What's the idea of niti ayog? Well to privatise and defunding the *elite institutions*, replace the entirety of this "mobile" engineering/doctor section to a lower skilled section, or rather lower unskilled section. This has much to do with the job market. The qualification of the "so called unemployed" (either structurally or voluntarily) has much to do with "aspirational friction". In other words, you consider yourself a bit too qualified for a sweatshop daily wage labour. This affects labour availability and mobility. NITI and "the neoliberal horde" has been saying this for some time, *The problem is not with jobs, but that people are not ready to work for such jobs*. This also prevents, in a way, the cheap labor drain to the developed economies, since the avg TCS guy, will then be restricted to just a *diploma*, and thus have lesser probability of escaping the Indian labor market. So, yes, the *new educational era* will push towards creating of 2 sections:
1. *A higher educated class, that will perpetually remain the monopoly of the entitled* .
2. *A semi skilled section, with very little negotiating power*
This, they are pushing in 2 fashions
1. By creating a humongous entry barrier for the lower and middle classes to higher education by extremely high fees, keeping them restricted to the creme de la creme of the society. This is very much similar to the CAT MODEL.(Huge cost of education ->take a bank loan to study ->your solvency in the upcoming decade to depend on your ability to be an obedient slave in the industry, also your wings are necessarily clipped, unless you are a *papa ki pari*)
2. The more the privatization, the lesser the scope of *social mobility*. Remember, the idea of reservations exists in public funded and not private funded education.
C.NEP recommends setting an Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI), National Institute (or Institutes) for Pali, Persian and Prakrit, strengthening of Sanskrit
We already have the central institute of Indian languages at mysore. What have we done to it over years? Killed it systematically. Haven't we? And, why does this *Special stress on sanskrit* keep repeating itself all across the policy? It's a red flag, we all know it, better we acknowledge it.
D.A stress on MOOCs and digitizing education
Again, the idea of digitizing education works only in a "DIGITALLY LITERATE" state. What's the level of penetration of 4g that we have across rural areas of states? Apart from Kerala (KFON policy) which other state has even taken a stride to make "internet accessible to the poorest as a matter of right?".
So, we must realise the idea of MOOCs is going to stay a predominantly urban thing. Good, but here comes my reservations
MOOCs, firstly can never be a replacement to good teachers. Somewhere this whole MOOC therapy is being used to "papercover the cracks" of a very shaky Indian primary education teacher system. Why do I say so?
Firstly, moocs prevent any interactive participation. I cannot raise an innovative doubt in a MOOC, (even though its theoretically possible in the comments or dialog boxes, we know it doesn't work, mostly it goes unreplied, and if replied to, it's mostly as and how we see in reddit etc) so this blocks the *Spirit of reasoned thinking and understanding*. This will only further boost the coaching industry, as people will surely understand zilch out of PPTs. For more on how an Indian MOOC is going to look like, please take a course at epgpathsala or swayam.
Secondly, MOOCs are going to corporatize the indian education scene like never before. This will prevent any creative and reasoned thinking. We all know, corporate mouthpieces can never be *A CRITIC OF THEMSELVES*, And the whole discipline of neoclassical economics is in itself a glaring example. MOOCs are meant to be concise, and to the point. But education, if you see, is much more about *Nuance*. And *nuance* would mean, no part is less important. What I fear is that, in the forceful imposition of *rationalization*, many important things like *fundamental rights* might take a backseat.
E.On continued push towards Pseudoscientification of Science and tech
The idea was pretty much significantly perceivable when the govt pushed a scheme like SUTRA- PIC under Ministry of Science and tech (Scientific Utilization through Research Augmentation-Prime Products from Indigenous Cows” (SUTRA-PIC India)) . The rampant decline in the science congress delegates and discussion was also pretty much evident.
Obvious decline in standards of medical education is also very much evident as the govt unabashedly pushes for private market fee fixation for as many as 40% seats, and giving a free hand to the private sector monopolies of medical colleges. Similarly there has been a gigantic push, towards Indian standards of medicine and Homeopathy, and there has been a concerted push towards formalization and rebranding of the "pseudo medical" approaches.
G.No changes in the menace that is Entrance exams
Seasons come, seasons go, years come, years go, policies come, policies go. But the menace of coaching and entrance exams still thrives and chokes the indian education system. Lets not fool ourselves, none of the STEMCELS here, including me could even dream of cracking JEE without fiitjee, none of the medicocels without akash etc etc. Similarly, what is disturbing is the push towards "vernacularization", of primary education, while we all know, most of these entrance exams will invariably involve English and your competence in English at the end of the day. Neither CAT nor UPSC will become a "language neutral" exam any time soon, given the essence of these exams are "word twists". Similarly I have seen people of mixed backgrounds suffering in JEE and NEET.
H. *On ECCE and 5334* :
Words words words. So much it speaks on ECCE and 5 3 3 4 model, with so little to show for. A broken anganwadi system can never become an early childhood care system. Play based models of education would require skilled and properly incentivised staff for the same.
Furthermore ECCE, globally is required to inculcate ideas of abstract pattern recognition and creative thinking in children. However there's no mention of the same in the indian NEP. Indian NEP woefully restricts itself to learning of alphabet and numerics in ecce.
However, to me, all this ECCE is mere hogwash.Good luck expecting it in a country, where "Baal ashrams" in the spirit of "ekal vidyalaya" are "shown as the way forward". On Ekals and shishu mandirs, there's already loads of accusations on how the shakha uses these education centres for brainwashing and creation of future shakacels.
On 5 3 3 4, it really won't affect the system much, given 10th and 10+2 exams has already become of lesser and lesser importance, and it's rather entrance exams that matter.
I.6% of GDP towards education:
Again, no way forward for the same. There's no proper policy approach given on how the govt would do the same. In the absence of such a policy framework, saying 6% gdp is just the same as the numerous declarations towards the same that has happened since 1947. Right from radhakrishnan panel, we have been striving towards "measurable improvements in education expenditure" and here we have it, at a measly 1.xx%. What I further fear, is that in the absence of proper policy framework, it will be more like funds pushed towards hogwash institutions like "JIO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND LIBERAL SCIENCES".
J.NITI ayogs religiously pushing towards combining institutions of tech and humanities as all in one univs:
This is far more concerning than most people presume it to be. Lets face it. Science and humanities are as miscible as oil and water. While science is about "reasoning and logic and proper observable results", humanities is not so. Scientification of humanities can have disastrous results, very similar to what we see today in economics, where veritable idiots, with 0 knowledge in *sociology and anthro* make policies for numerous people, consider themselves mathematical experts (while at best, they just try to optimize established models, like a layman) while turning a blind eye to perron froebinus, which clearly shows market equilibrium is not possible mathematically, and takes "variables of choice" to fit "pre determined results and conclusions" that would fit their masters interests. Humanities unlike science is not value neutral. Also, while science dwells best in "observable" domain, humanities dwells best in "abstract" domain. What I fear, is that there will be a slow and sedate defunding of liberal arts institutes like JNU and market orientation of "humanities". In other words, humanities won't remain humane, after all!