CPM denounces unilateral changes, calls for protest

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM, which heads the LDF government in Kerala, has denounced the unilateral manner in which the Union cabinet imposed the new education policy in India. Though CPM politburo exhorted to protest the ‘Centralisation, Communalisation and Commercialisation of Indian Education’, there is not much the state government can do to bypass or ignore the core suggestions in policy.
Education, initially a state subject, was moved to the concurrent list by the Indira Gandhi government which brought the 42nd amendment to the Constitution in 1976. After that, education – including technical, medical and universities; vocational and technical training of labour– are subjects in which state and Centre share power. The inclusion of the subject in concurrent list will limit legal battle, if the state or CPM plans one as the Centre has the mandate to roll out a broader framework for school and college education.
“It is a gross violation by the Centre to impose a new education policy unilaterally, bypassing all objections and opposition recorded by state governments. A new policy of such a nature needs to be discussed in Parliament. The draft is, as per norm, placed on the table of the Houses with a statutory time limit within which MPs can move amendments/give opinions. Parliament has been completely bypassed,” said a statement issued by CPM politburo. Former education minister and PB member M A Baby said CPM had prepared a detailed memorandum based on the draft act and submitted it to the government. “Unfortunately, our suggestions are not included in the draft. Before enacting such major reforms, government should have held discussions with all stakeholders including students, teachers and parents. Even parliamentary standing committee on education didn’t get a chance to discuss policy,” he said. The suggestions on draft policy placed by academia and students were not considered while framing the document, he said.
Pointing out the clause to form national testing agency, Baby said the agency might turn out to be a filter to pick elitist class and reserve higher education for them.