CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government should adopt a resolution to bring education under State List from Concurrent List under Article 246 of the Constitution, a statement, signed by 100 educationists and civil society representatives, sent to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has said.
The statement emphasised that Tamil Nadu should reject the provisions of National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020 that are not in consonance with the federal structure, social justice and equity. “NEP 2020 demolishes the federal character of India by promoting centralisation, by controlling all decision-making from ECCE and primary education to higher education, including professional education. This cannot be countenanced,” the statement said.
Pointing that Tamil Nadu has progressed farther than other States in education, the signatories said the Assembly should adopt a resolution demanding transfer of education as subject to List II in Seventh Schedule under Article 246 of the Constitution of India (as was the case in the original Constitutional scheme). “As is known, originally education was a State subject in the Constitution.
In 1976 (during Emergency) by 42nd Constitution Amendment, it was shifted to the Concurrent List (List III under Article 246),” the statement explained. Implementation of NEP 2020 would usurp the constitutional right and duty of the State and UT governments to frame their own policies and programmes or enact laws concerning education, as per the needs and aspirations of the people of the State, the statement said. Citing an example, the signatories said that even before the State government had decided on the policy issue, teachers, who are employees of the government, had been asked to give suggestions on it.
“The Union Secretary writing to the School Education Secretary even before the policy was placed before Parliament was a serious violation of the federal structure of India,” they said. The signatories, included People First chairman MG Devasahayam, former Anna University V-C M Anandakrishnan, coordinator Thomas Franco, former Vice-Chancellor Vasanthi Devi, former High Court judge Hariparanthaman, Su.Venkatesan, Sahitya Academy Winner and Member of Parliament and educationist Prince Gajendra Babu, among others. They urged that the government should protect the rights of the State, uphold parliamentary democracy and carry forward the social justice measures.
Errata
In the news item titled ‘NRI, Foreign Nationals can apply till September 30’ which appeared in the edition dated September 9, the details of admissions were carried wrongly. The correct version is: The last date for registration and submission of application for the academic year 2020-21, through online has been extended to September 30, for admission to BE, B Tech degree programmes for Non Residential Indians, foreign nationals and Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries. The error is regretted.