Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has defended the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, calling it a break from the past and a step towards India’s intellectual decolonization. His response comes after Congress leader Sonia Gandhi criticized the government’s education policies, claiming they promote centralization, commercialization, and communalization.
What’s the Debate all about?
1-Sonia Gandhi accused the Modi government of harming the education system.
2-Minister Pradhan countered, stating that past policies were marked by corruption, lack of funds for public universities, and political interference.
3- He highlighted the 2009 Deemed University scandal, where 44 private institutions received university status without proper evaluation.
What was the situation earlier?
Public universities were starved of funds, while unregulated private colleges turned into “degree mills.”
Political interference-controlled appointments in top universities.
Textbooks downplayed Indian revolutionaries and misrepresented history.
How is NEP 2020 different?
- More Inclusive Higher Education – Enrolment has increased
- Women’s Empowerment – Female students now make up 43% of STEMM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math, Medicine) and 44.23% of teachers.
- Increased Government Funding
- Focus on Innovation & Skills – Over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs are nurturing young innovators, with 50,000 more planned.
- Promotion of Indian Languages – 15,000 textbooks will be published in 22 regional languages to support learning in mother tongues.
Dharmendra Pradhan’s replay:
He said the government remains focused on building a Viksit Bharat, wherein education truly liberates and empowers.
“The decade ahead will witness an educational renaissance that honours India’s past while fearlessly embracing the future. India’s education system has finally broken free from colonial shadows and ideological captivity. It stands poised to fulfil the dreams of millions of Indians,” he said.
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