November 24, 2020.
TED NewsDesk, New Delhi: The General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Sitaram Yechury, asked PM Modi about the NEP 2020 in a letter on Monday. He wondered if the NEP aims to put an end to the reservation policy in the education sector. This question, according to Yechury, came up after he found no mention of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. There is also no mention of the differently-abled, added Yechury.
Yechury said, “I am writing this letter to highlight one particular issue which is causing great anxiety, especially among SC, ST, OBC communities and the disabled.” He added, “It is truly shocking that NEP 2020 makes no mention of reservations for these sections, either for admissions or for appointments to teaching and non-teaching positions.”
According to Yechury, there seems to be a plan to put out of action the reservation policy, a policy which has been working for a long time and has helped a lot of people. The policy was put into place to provide quality education to everyone and make it equitable for those not able to access it easily. He said that the absence of the word is premeditated and points towards a future where reservation can be removed in education.
Yechury has asked for a reply from Modi to his questions which raise important issues in the NEP and the government’s plans regarding the country’s education. He asked, “Does NEP 2020 seek to end the policy of reservations for SC, ST, OBC and disabled in educational institutions? If not, could you please clarify as to why NEP 2020 does not contain any mention of reservations?”
He added, “This is creating grave uncertainties and confusion about the actual direction proposed for the Indian Education system under this new policy, by your government.”
He also said that different policies under the NEP are being introduced in different states without consulting those concerned, such as the state governments, the students, educationists and other teaching and non-teaching employees of various educational institutions.
There has been no reply from the PM office of the PM himself regarding Yechury’s questions. It remains to be seen whether the PM replies, or if he does, what his reply could be regarding the Commission of the reservation quota in the NEP 2020.
Source: Times of India
