Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 5: A delegation of J&K United School Teachers Association (USTA) led by its president Rajeev Kumar and general secretary Hari Singh today met Divisional Commissioner Jammu in his office chamber and submitted through him a memorandum to the President of India, suggesting changes in New Education Policy (NEP), 2020.
USTA delegation expressed resentment over NEP 2020, stating that it is the roadmap for centralization, privatization and saffronisation of education. The delegation said and the NEP 2020 denies equity, equality and social justice and indicates withdrawal of state intervention in achieving the target of right to education for children.
The delegation said that before going ahead for implementation of the education policy, there must be thorough discussion in the parliament after scrutiny by the standing committee. It demanded that NEP should promote scientific temper, rationality, secularism, democracy, harmony, plurality of Indian Society.
Stating that the Association strongly opposes centralization of education because it erodes federalism and curtails the rights of states, the delegation demanded that pre-primary education may be linked with primary schools by merging Anganwadi and play-way schools with them and Anganwadi workers may be promoted as teachers after required training on child psychology.
“The vocationalisation and internship at class 6th to 8th is harmful as the child is not mature at this age to decide his future moreover it will lead to exclusion of a large number of students from receiving general education. Vocational education should be imparted from 9th onwards,” it added.
The USTA delegation rejects the proposal of All India centralised exam for grades 3, 5, 8, 10th and 12th proposed in NEP which is violation to Right to Education (RTE) Act. “There should be no semester system, only exams by school itself for formative purposes may be permitted and 10th and 12th standard exam on annual basis by state boards be continued as per practice for certification,” the association members said.
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