Srinagar, Jul 04 (KNS): A discussion on the report for the Draft National Education Policy, 2019 was held at Ascent Group Study Circle in collaboration with HELP Foundation, J&K at their Tulsi Bagh Office today. In this gathering a cross section of Academicians, School and College teachers and civil society members participated. Briefing the media Mr. Mohammad Shafi Pandit, Former Chairman, JKPSC, Chairman ASCENT Group mentioned the following points as the upshot of the discussion.
The draft education policy of 2019 fails to focus on the question of access and inclusion in the context of the immense disparity and diversity in India. The over emphasis on the neo-liberal market orentation seems to commodify education and makes it more inaccessible to the children of the poor and marginal groups.
The over centralisation through the bodies like Rashtra Shikshan Ayog hampers the concurent status of education. The autonomy of various bodies as well as the autonomy of the state of Jammu and Kashmir also comes under threat. This centralisation on the one hand neglects the local contexts and modes of learning-teaching while on other side curtails the freedom to research.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is still trying to bring more and more students into higher education and the draft recommendation of 'consolidation' in terms of having larger multi-disciplinary institutions goes against the idea of more inclusive access to good quality education and a focus on specialisation.
The state is severely short of good qualified teachers at school and higher education level and needs to focus on appropriate recruitment and frequent professional development.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelBut the detailed mechanisms of performance appraisal and promotions given in the report seem highly centralised and regressive. This makes teachers more vulnerable and open to harrassment from the bureacracy and political and dominant community leaders.
The national programme of employing 'volunteers', 'student tutors' and 'remedial instructional aides' needs to be dispensed with. There is no getting away from having good, qualified teachers especially for children from disadvantage backgrounds. Morever, the idea of having retired army officers /jawans as teacher volunteers is a very dangerous trend and completely uncalled for in J&K which is already facing deep political turmoil.
The three language formula, as proposed by the report overlooks the crucial challenge faced by the state to actually implement a good language learning approach beginning from the first spoken language (which includes many languages other than those being used in the current schooling system). In fact J&K has to evolve an education approach wherein the transition from the first language to a second regional language and English has to be carefully worked out with due prepration of teachers.
As given by the NCF, 2005 the curriculum should include a culturally contextual approach where children construct knowledge for themselves by actively interacting within the classroom and with the surroundings. This document doesn't reflect such approach on critical pedagogy.
The participants expressed the hope that the Govt. of India will give serious considerations to these suggestions. (KNS)