Tamil Nadu will soon release a report detailing its stance and amendments to be made on the New Education Policy (NEP). The government had constituted two committees comprising high-level officials and academicians to examine the implications of the new policy proposed by the Centre for school and higher education.
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Chennai:
Members of these panels collected feedback from various stakeholders so that a final report could be prepared. A senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that the panels have prepared the final report which would be submitted shortly.
Though the State had already conveyed its concerns about certain aspects of the NEP to the Centre, the full report submitted by the committee would be made public to ensure transparency, the official said.
“We have asked the Centre to not implement the suggestion on conducting entrance exam by the National Testing Agency for admissions to colleges, as it would affect rural students. The current model of having autonomous colleges and those affiliated to universities should continue,” he said.
One of the areas where the State differed from the policy is the proposal to categorise colleges only as autonomous or constituent colleges. The government here is of the opinion that it would deprive affiliated colleges of its potential to become autonomous, degree-granting colleges. “Affiliated colleges will not get suitable guidance from their universities,” he added.
However, the State government is in favour of the NEP proposal to convert B Ed course into a four-year integrated degree course with two major subjects, which would enable the students to finish the course early and enter teaching jobs soon.
A senior official who was part of the panel that looked into the pros and cons of the new policy with regard to school education said that the present 15 years of schooling system should be continued.
“The report also strongly opposed the Centre’s proposal to implement three languages at school level. Also, all the welfare schemes that will be implemented through NEP for school education should be State specific,” he said.
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