Mysore/Mysuru: The scrapping of the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) by the State Government is going to badly affect children from poor and middle class families, senior Journalist and Critic Ravindra Reshme said here yesterday.

Alluding to Chief Minister Siddharamaiah’s statement that he would not accept the NEP-2020, Ravindra Reshme said that Siddharamaiah was one who could not see anything beyond Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi of the dynasty.

He was speaking at the Special meeting of Academic experts on NEP-2020, organised by the People’s Forum for Karnataka Education, Mysuru, at VK Convention Hall in Nazarbad here yesterday.

Pointing out that Educational policies were also framed during the times of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi earlier, Reshme said that Siddharamaiah is adamant on scrapping the NEP-2020 in the State only for reasons best known to him. Reiterating that Siddharamaiah is unable to see things beyond Congress leaders from the Gandhi family, he said that he cannot understand why the Congress Government, which taught the country about nationalism, is rushing to scrap the NEP.

He stressed on the need for convening a meeting of educational Policy experts on education in order to highlight the real benefits of the NEP and to enliven the academic spirit among the state’s population. The National Education Policy committee Chairman Dr. Kasturirangan was deeply disheartened when he learnt that the Siddharamaiah Government was going to scrap the NEP, he added.

Reshme pointed out that Rajiv Gandhi as the Prime Minister, had established the Radhakrishnan Commission to review the current state of University education in India and make recommendations for improvement, according to which teachers got an increased salary without corresponding benefit                 to students.

He also called upon the teaching and Acadmeic fraternity to speak up against the State Government’s decision, else there will be a danger to the learning and career of the poor and               middle class children.

Former Kuvempu University Vice-Chancellor Prof. K. Chidananda Gowda in his address, said that the NEP will surely enhance the intelligence quotient of the children, which is lacking now. Observing that the previous education Policy centred around University education and the teaching fraternity, he said that, however, the NEP-2020 is certainly focused on students. Maintaining that the children’s creativity and learning capabilities had drastically shrunk over the years in the absence of a good educational policy, he said that the NEP-2020 will largely help in the academic and career growth of children. Pointing out that three NEPs were formulated earlier in 1948, 1968 and 1986, in a span of over three decades, he said that the NEP-2020 focused more on the medium of Instruction in Mother tongue and Professional education. This will help in building creativity and innovation among children, he added.