Officials reject student wing members’ claims on low-profile public hearing on draft NEP

The public hearing was organised for Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Pudukkottai as per the directions of the State Education Research Centre Join Director Pon Kumar. It is said that only a select group of delegates from the referred districts were called for the programme, the whole event was held without much publicity. The attempt to hold the hearing in a low profile manner is seens as a bid to pass the draft National Education Policy without trouble.

Since the permission has been limited, the members from various student wings demanded that they also be allowed to participate. However they were denied entry into the meeting hall, prompting a heated argument.

The student wing members claimed that the draft NEP has drawn criticisms from several sections in Tamil Nadu. Despite opposition, officials were still organising such public hearings secretly to help passage of the draft NEP.

However, the organisers said that it was a workshop to explain the policy and so only stakeholders, including the headmasters and experts, were alone invited. But the student wing members who witnessed a group of school students participating om the meeting asked if those children were experts for to which there was no reply from the organisers.

The Joint Director Pon Kumar attempted to pacify the student wing member and the student wing members kept on raising slogans.

On information, Fort police rushed and removed them from the spot.