Modi govt mulls Sangh ideas; education policy this month

The much-delayed new education policy of the Narendra Modi government is likely to be unveiled by the end of the month. Though the BJP government had decided to provide a new course to the country’s education by bringing in a new policy as soon as it took office, the delay is understood to have saved it from another possible controversy during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament. It is understood that several recommendations by various Sangh outfits were being actively considered for implementation.

To prepare the country’s third education policy since Independence, the Union human resources development ministry had last year set up a committee to prepare its draft. The committee is headed by former bureaucrat T.S.R. Subramanian and has four other retired bureaucrats as members. The committee is likely to recommend changing the current system of recruitment of vice-chancellors, taking note of loopholes in the existing process for such appointments and past irregularities, and introduction of a “National Academic Services” for recruitment of teachers.

Though the committee was supposed to submit a draft policy at the end of 2015, it is now expected to submit the report by the end of May. Sources stated the draft report is in the final stages.

Some of the recommendations made by various Sangh affiliates are the establishment of a national language university for professional courses like medical and engineering, introducing the history of mathematics with emphasis on Indian contributions to mathematics and science, giving more weightage to studying Indian history, and doing away with English as a compulsory language at school. Saffron educational affiliates have also pressed for introduction of moral and value education in schools. There is also a view that instead of teaching professional courses like medicine, engineering and management in English, these courses should also be taught in regional languages.

The history syllabus is of key priority with consensus among saffron ideologues that the roles of several freedom fighters, like Madam Mohan Malaviya and Ram Manohar Lohia, and the work of historians like Hazari Prasad Dwivedi need to be acknowledged more.