Adhere strictly to the three-language formula with Hindi mandatory till Class 8 across the country, ensure a uniform syllabus nationwide for Science and Maths, develop a script in Devanagari for tribal dialects, and promote education based on “hunar (skill)”.
These are some of the key recommendations in the draft report prepared by the nine-member K Kasturirangan committee on the New Education Policy (NEP), which aims to implement an “India-centric” and “scientific” system of learning in schools, The Indian Express has learnt.
Sources said the committee handed over its report to the HRD Ministry last month before its tenure ended on December 31, 2018. “We have sought a meeting with the HRD Minister to hand over the report formally,” a member of the committee said on condition of anonymity.
Speaking to The Indian Express, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said: “The committee’s report is ready and the members have sought an appointment. I will get the report after the Parliament session.”
On Thursday, responding to this news report, Javadekar tweeted:
Sources said the government is yet to decide the next step for the policy, including placing it in the public domain for further suggestions and feedback.
“While subjects under Social Sciences need local content, there is no logic for a varied syllabus for Science and Mathematics in different state boards up to Class 12. Science and Mathematics may be taught in any language, but the syllabus should be the same in all states,” sources said. The Indian Express has learnt that the proposed NEP also advocates developing a syllabus for upto Class 5 in local languages, such as Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Maithili, etc., in areas where they are spoken.
“Also, there are several tribal dialects that either have no script or are written in the Roman script due to the influence of missionaries. The NEP says that Devanagari will be developed as a script for these dialects. It says that we need an India-centric education system,” said sources.
The draft NEP is also learnt to have suggested a “strict implementation” of the three-language formula while recommending that Hindi be made mandatory across the country up to Class 8. At present, Hindi is not compulsory at schools in many non-Hindi-speaking states, such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal and Assam.