BENGALURU: Nine working groups have been formed to study and review various aspects of the education system in Karnataka, the State Education Policy (SEP) committee said on Friday. The 15-member committee, constituted on October 11, reiterated that the report on SEP will be based on facts and data and not presumptions. The policy will fix the short- and long-term challenges faced by the state’s education system.
“The SEP policy will be comprehensive and futuristic. The committee will review and suggest changes to the quality and accessibility of education, financing, governance, student enrolment, professional education, online and distance education and employability factors. Digital infrastructure and Skill development will also be a part of the report,” Committee chairman Sukhdev Thorat, also former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman, told reporters.
He said various stakeholders will be consulted to include everyone’s input in the policy. “Meetings will be held with different stakeholders such as vice-chancellors, teachers, students, schools, managements of higher education institutions, civil society and others,” Throat added. The group will list the limitations of the current system and analyse them. The approach to building a robust SEP will be a multi-disciplinary approach, which would also consider the modifications needed in the system for the development of the state.
The committee will hold meetings in four select divisions in the state and refer to the All-India Survey, National Sample Survey, NAAC reports, and other studies to formulate the report. “The policy will be on the lines of the Radhakrishnan Commission and Kothari Commission reports while also conducting an assessment of National Education Policy,” the chairman explained on Friday.
The members said they will submit the report by February 28, 2024, but may seek an extension from the government if needed. “As for the implementation, it is for the government to decide,” said Thorat.