BENGALURU: Even as the Congress government in Karnataka decided not to go ahead with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, it is also unlikely to implement the State Education Policy (SEP) from the current academic year, as the Cabinet on Thursday decided to set up a Cabinet sub-committee to study the final recommendations of the SEP Commission.
The commission’s Chairman Prof Sukhadeo Thorat, a former UGC chairman, had submitted the 2,197-page report to the State Government on August 9, 2025.
“The State Government was scared, given the financial implications as it requires over Rs 10,000 crore annually to implement the SEP. It also faced stiff resistance from certain leaders who run educational institutions. These are the reasons why the cabinet has bought more time to implement the SEP,” informed sources told TNIE.
It has been decided to give the discretion of setting up the Cabinet sub-committee to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
“Even if the Cabinet sub-committee is set up, it is not certain that we will implement the SEP for schools and colleges from the current academic year. It takes time as the SEP Commission has submitted eight volumes of the report. The Cabinet sub-committee has to discuss the financial implications of implementing the SEP.
There are issues that universities, deemed universities and other educational institutions could face that need to be addressed,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil told mediapersons after the cabinet meeting.
Patil further said that the Cabinet discussed the report thoroughly and came to the conclusion that a study by the Cabinet sub-committee is required before implementing the SEP.
Thorat faints
The SEP Commission Chairman Prof Sukhadeo Thorat, who was invited to give a presentation of his final report to the Cabinet, fainted even before he started. A doctor was called, who treated him and gave him a glass of fruit juice, following which he recovered.
“Since his blood sugar levels were low, he fainted,” sources said. Prof Thorat later continued with his presentation.
