Is the rationalization of school curriculum by NCERT an attempt to selectively remove material that the BJP is not comfortable with?
NCERT is the intellectual think tank of the government with strong history, heritage and capable people. This is not the first time such debates and discussions are taking place on the syllabus. No curriculum is static and priorities change over time.
Out of 100 indices you are talking about five indices. But shouldn’t we associate math with coding today? Shouldn’t language be linked to IT and coding? Shouldn’t Industrialization 4.0 be a part of the curriculum? Shouldn’t we keep pace with the global job opportunities? Due to the pandemic, not only the NCERTs but almost all the states have reshuffled the syllabus and rationalized it on the basis of their priority. Therefore it should not be seen through an ideological lens.
Was there any communication gap in sharing of benefits and benefits of Agneepath scheme?
The government had considered it in great detail in the last two years before it was placed in the cabinet. At a certain level the Ministry of Education was also involved.
Unlike earlier, when armed force required a lot of manpower, today’s warfare is technology driven. We need to make our armed forces young and committed and we need to build a bigger base. Agneepath is making the base bigger, therefore envisaging 75:25 after four years. Till then they will be part of the armed forces. As far as the exit is concerned, if they have joined at the age of 17 or 18 after completing class X, they will automatically come out as a higher secondary pass student. Also entry level training and on the job training of firefighters can be converted into credit points like general education. They will be mapped under the credit framework and lead to degree equivalence. So in these four years, a 12th pass student can come with a degree. So when they come out they will have skill certificate, degree and service fund.
Like many developed countries, the “Jana Sena” as told by our Home Minister will get priority and reservation in the CRPF. States like UP, Assam, Uttarakhand and Haryana have already said that Agniveers will join the state forces and the corporate sector has actively come forward with affirmative action for them. I am sure we will have a highly trained precious community. Whenever a new scheme is launched it needs to be communicated sensitively which is what the government is doing from day one. This has been announced by the Defense Minister and the chiefs of our forces and therefore there was no communication gap. There are some who are politicizing it like they fulfill every dream of our PM. We are not going to respond to those voices.
In the recent global university rankings, apart from IISc and IITs, ordinary universities like DU, JNU and Jamia have fallen. Your thoughts
It would be wrong to judge quality on the basis of ranking only. QS is a reputed institute as well as TIMES (Higher Education). They have some parameters like international students, which are probably not very high in universities like DU. The priority and nature of Indian educational institutions differ from their foreign counterparts. DU is a government institution and our priority is to provide quality education to Indian students in which universities like DU and Jamia are doing excellent work. IISc’s growth is not because of QS ranking. Over the years, in many such international assessments, IISc has topped international citations.
What has been the major attraction of private universities as seen from the CUET application trend?
All universities are equal to the government. A lot of good private institutions have been established due to enabling policies in the last 30 years. Apart from meritorious and middle-class background students, government institutions also provide opportunities to children from disadvantaged backgrounds because of their affordability. However, quality private universities and their development are equally important for us for research activities.
May 15 was supposed to be the deadline for finalizing the letters of the positions of the National Focus Groups for the four National Curriculum Frameworks. Why is there delay?
There was no such time limit. A Steering Committee headed by K Kasturirangan, who headed the committee that drafted the NEP 2020, conducted collaborative consultations with NCFs, State Governments, focus groups of State SCERTs and deliberations at the district level. Based on my understanding, from the upcoming Saraswati Puja we will be ready with ECCE (up to class II) syllabus as well as textbooks.
Are some states face-to-face with the Center on the implementation of NEP or during consultations with the NCF?
On 1st and 2nd June, we called a National School Education Ministers’ Conference in Gandhinagar. 95% of the states participated. We expected two things from them – their position on the NCF and their best practices in learning loss recovery. All the states are acting responsibly based on their priority and needs. With regard to the NEP, I have read in the newspapers that there is some disagreement in certain areas of some states. We welcome this in a democracy. The government is not creating the curriculum, but has delegated it to non-political public intellectuals like Kasturirangan, full freedom to consult and deliberate with civil society to work out a framework taking into account the government’s vision. giving.
Your views on internationalization of higher education in India?
There are two aspects to this priority sector. First is the GIFT City announced in the last budget, on the basis of which any foreign university to set up its campus would be outside the purview of India’s current policy framework.
The second is that the NEP has clearly mentioned that existing rules and regulations will need to be amended so that high quality foreign universities and institutions can operate in India in multiple modes – campus, dual degree, joint degree or twin degree. UGC is working on the necessary rules.