CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government has not opposed the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020; it only submitted its observation of the policy to the Centre. That Tamil Nadu was opposed to the NEP was an impression created by media, said Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar on Saturday.
“The Tamil Nadu government responded to the NEP and has given its observations to us. In the letter, they highlighted the observations, which they feel are not suitable for the state. A few of their observations related to anganwadi centres are practical problems and we see it in a positive way ... These issues would be discussed with the State,” said Sarkar, who, after attending the convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) at Sri City, made a stopover in the city to speak on the implementation of NEP in India so far.
Asked about TN government’s proposed State Education Policy (SEP), Sarkar said he was not aware of it as the letter sent to them by TN government did not mention the SEP.The NEP was a broader framework that the Centre offered to improve the quality of education and ensure its uniformity across the country. “Education committees can be formed at state and district-levels for policy implementation.” NEP was a broader framework and states can pick what’s most suitable to them.
Speaking on the three-language policy opposed by TN, he said the Centre did not compel anyone to learn a particular language. Asked why a state like TN with a high literacy rate and GER should implement NEP, the minister said: “Highest literacy rate and Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) are not the parameters of quality education. The NEP has been chalked out to improve the overall quality of education as it focuses on accessibility of education, research, innovation, reduction of dropouts, learning outcomes, and benefit to the society,” said Sarkar.