JFME demands repeal of National Education Policy

By Pinaki Das

Hundreds of faculty members from different colleges and universities, along with members of various student organizations, held a four-hour-long sit-in-protest in Agartala voicing their discontent and calling for the repeal of the National Education Policy (NEP) on Sunday.

The protesters, under the Joint Forum for Movement on Education, accused the central government of unilaterally implementing the NEP without consulting the state government, teacher organizations, student bodies, intellectuals, or educationists.

They argued that the policy promotes the privatization of education and seeks to hand over the entire education system to the corporate sector.

The demonstrators expressed fear that this approach would lead to higher education costs, making it inaccessible to the common people.

Moreover, they criticized the NEP for undermining the Right to Education and claimed that it is intertwined with a communal agenda, often associated with Hindutva.

They characterized it as a dangerous blend of liberalization and communalization.

The Joint Forum for Movement on Education, an umbrella organization representing teachers and student groups, alleged that the government aims to replace teachers with digitization, thereby jeopardizing their livelihoods.

They also expressed their dissatisfaction with the discriminatory practices observed in Tripura’s Vidyajyoti Schools, where more than 125 schools have been converted to English medium without any infrastructure development or training of the teachers, but now the students are required to pay monthly fees exceeding Rs 1000, due to which several students are unable to go to these schools.

Protesters further lamented the closure of numerous schools, particularly in remote tribal areas, under the current BJP-led government.

They argued that the quality of education has deteriorated as a result.

Citing a report by NITI Aayog, the demonstrators highlighted a rise in student dropouts due to the increasing cost of education and the shortage of teachers.

Moreover, they raised the fact that the government’s failure to recruit educators has left numerous positions vacant in schools, colleges, and universities.

The NEP, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2020, replaced the 34-year-old National Policy on Education from 1986. Its primary objective is to usher in transformative reforms in the school and higher education systems, with the aim of positioning India as a global knowledge superpower.

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