Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) at a press meet in the national capital on 4 November, released an Analytical Report and Recommendations on New Education Policy of 2015.
The report was formulated with the help of the outcome and suggestions based on 19 discussions on New Education Policy organised by SIO in different cities and in consultation with more than a dozen educationists. The Government is likely to formulate the new education policy in the month of December, 2015.
Mr. Iqbal Hussain, President, SIO of India, while addressing the press meet at the Press Club of India, said it is only through education that we can achieve the core constitutional goals and education can only transform the society. Social justice and equality can only be realised with the help of education. SIO has always demanded that 6 per cent of the GDP must be spent on education.
“During the SHIKSHA SAMVAD in various cities we got the impression that the government has not done the required homework for the new education policy. The pros and cons of the earlier draft of the educational policies have not been taken into account. The theme and the vision of the government’s drafts are believed to have been drafted in haste. SIO demands the new education policy to meet the aspirations of the constitutional demands and it should be designed in a way to preserve and promote our plural ethos, said Hussain.
Chief Guest Prof. Poonam Batra, Central Institute of Education, University of Delhi, after releasing the New Education Policy- 2015, said efforts are on to give education a private space. There is a huge gap between the private space and philanthropic approach of decades ago and the talk of the private space now. Today’s private players are more from the corporate sectors and these players not only talk of institutional development but they also talk of the entire curriculum.
“It is equally important to note in the present regime there has been a lot of cut in the resources like SSA and also in the higher education. Our economic discourse has been amalgamated into our educational discourse. More precisely, our educational discourse has now become our economic discourse. In the theme of the new education policy, it is quite surprising that the provisions of the Justice Verma Commission have not been touched and many other important recommendations and provisions have been ignored,” Batra said.
The Draft Education Policy recommendations are categorised into School Education, Teacher Education, Vocationalisation, Language Policy, Higher Education, and Technical Education & Research in Higher Education.
“Education has always been important and it is crucial for the entire developmental process of a country, its welfare and progress. Progress is a continuous, never ending process. An advance in a particular field of activity leads to the opening of another door to proceed steadily for progress. The Government of India drafted the education policy in 1986 and revised it in the year 1992. During this last 22 years, we have slowly but steadily marched onto the road of planned progress. According to sources, the Government of India will formulate the new education policy in the month of December, 2015,” the report said.
Mr. Alif Shukoor, General Secretary, SIO of India; Mr. Layeeq Ahmed Khan, Mr. Abdul Wadood and Mr. Thouseef Madikeri, all National Secretaries, SIO of India were also present at the press meet.