Chennai: Taking pot shots at the growing protest to the New Education Policy (NEP), Union Human Resource Development Minster Prakash Javadekar said education was not a political agenda of his BJP government but is very much a national agenda to provide “quality education for all.”
“India is the 'largest educating country' in the world providing education to 27 crore students from KG to PG and our biggest challenge is infusing quality in our (modern) education system that was originally started by the British who wanted submissive servants,” Mr Javadekar said while speaking at the national convention of Bhartiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS) here on Saturday. Pointing out that only Tamil Nadu and Kerala oppose the NEP, he remained that “education is not a political agenda of the BJP but it is a national agenda to foster quality education for all.”
“I want to assure you that the policy is still in the making and it has not been drafted… we don't want to tinker with the constitutional provisions on education. I have convened a meeting of all MPs on Nov-ember 10 to elicit their opinions and suggestions on formulating the National Education Policy. Discussions would also be held with NGOs like the BJS before framing the policy,” he said.
Stating that China was four times ahead of India which is also becoming a major economy, Mr. Javadekar said innovation was the corner stone of quality education that could provide capacity and skills besides mould one into a human being. “This is what the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to achieve. So the quality of education needs to be improved at all levels… inquisitiveness should begin at KG level and you need teachers too for (sustaining) such an environment,” the Minister added.
