Progressive Democratic Front MLC V. Balasubramaniam on Saturday said digital education can never be a substitute for classroom teaching.
Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day workshop on “National Education Policy-Alternative Measures”, he slammed the government’s plan to provide digital education to students in partnership with Byju’s and said there is no replacement for teachers in the classroom. It is possible
Citing 22,000 vacant posts of teachers in schools, he said that with the implementation of GO 117, more than 20,000 additional vacancies would be created. How will it contribute to improving the quality of education in schools? he questioned.
Mr. Balasubramaniam said that neither NEP-2020 nor Right to Education talked about restructuring of primary education, and yet the government was going ahead with mapping of high schools near classes 3, 4 and 5 . He said that the measures being taken by the government in the name of reforms will actually weaken the education sector.
“How can one expect quality improvement after reducing the strength of teachers and increasing the workload on them,” he asked.
MLC KS Lakshmana Rao said that education should serve as a tool to bridge the gap between different sections of the people in the society, but some key components of the NEP will widen the gap. He alleged that efforts were being made to centralize, commercialize and communalise the education sector.
Rajagopal, leader of the AP Degree College Teachers’ Association, said parts of the NEP would violate the secular and democratic fabric of the school education system.
The meeting was presided over by P. Babureddy, chief editor of Aikya Upadhyay magazine, while state president of AP United Teachers Federation (UTF) N. Venkateshwarlu, General Secretary KSS Prasad, Anganwadi Workers Union State Secretary Subbaravamma, Jan Vigyan Vedika State General Secretary G. Muralidhar, private teachers union secretary Noor Mohammad, Democratic Youth Federation of India state leader Jayendra, Students Federation of India state general secretary Ashok and many others were present.