BENGALURU : With the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) set to be implemented in schools from the upcoming academic year, stakeholders have expressed concerns regarding Chapter 8 of the policy.
A conflict of interest has arisen in Chapter 8 in framing regulations for schools by the Department of School Education, or in Karnataka, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Although the department undertakes monitoring and maintenance of the public education system in Karnataka, as well as governance and regulation, the policy states that the department undertaking regulatory actions poses a conflict of interest and “excessive centralised concentration of power” as the department can disproportionately impose regulations on private schools that do not apply to public schools.
The policy dictates that a neutral regulatory body be set up in each state, called the State School Standards Authority (SSSA). However, stakeholders state that the authority is yet to be formed in Karnataka.
As a result, the Karnataka Private School Managements, Teaching and Non-Teaching Coordination Committee (KPMTCC) along with other school organisations have come together to organise a symposium on effective implementation of the SSSA as part of the NEP.
“Multiple attempts to make an education policy has failed for refusing to recognise the private education sector as a stakeholder. NEP has taken this into consideration. But if this remains only on paper, the policy will fail like the previous ones,” said GN Var, president of the Private Schools United Front in Jammu and Kashmir, during a press meet on the symposium.
The symposium, is to be held from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday at the Chancery Pavilion.