Chennai: The restructuring of education, inclusion of pre-primary and vocational studies into mainstream education in the National Education Policy will align Indian education to the rest of the world, says Rustom Kerawalla, chairman, Ampersand Group. Excerpts from an interview.
What according to you are the thrust areas of the new National Education Policy?
There are many thrust areas in the policy. Primary among them is the inclusion of pre-primary and vocational studies in mainstream education, leveraging of technology for education and also teacher training. The focus on higher education is also one of the thrust areas in the policy.
What are the big positives in the policy?
The policy is in the right perspective. Central testing and standards and the merger of AICTE and UGC are positive moves. The three-language policy is also a good move if implemented properly in addition to conduct learning in the mother tongue. For States like Tamilnadu it will highly benefit students in understanding learning concepts at an early age.
Will funding of education at six per cent of the GDP address the pressing issues in this sector?
Of course not. The policy talks about allocating six per cent of the GDP for education. Although this is more than what is being spent now, it is too small when compared to most developed countries who spend as much as 20 per cent of their GDP on education. Also, at a time when a lot of funding is required
to build up digital infrastructure and technology infrastructure in schools, this allocation looks too small and inadequate.
How would the three language policy or education in mother tongue play out in Indian education?
The three language education system is good for the development of students in the longer term. Yet again, there is no clarity over its implementation. The interplay between the Centre and States will be difficult here and that has not been clearly defined or clarified in the new policy. Taking it to all States may pose huge implementation issues and some States may have problems with it. Additionally, the availability of e-content in regional languages needs to be made mandatory to ensure inclusivity. As for teaching in mother tongue till grade five is concerned, it looks good as a concept and may help children in the rural and semi-rural areas. But how these children will be able to adapt to secondary or higher education where the medium of education is mostly English, has to be seen.