As many schools, colleges and institutions of higher learning remained closed owing to COVID-19, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah opposed implementation of National Education Policy 2020 without discussions among academicians, experts and members of the State Legislature.
Education is included in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and States have equal right on deciding the education policy. The Centre should refrain from imposing the new policy on States without discussion in Parliament and State legislatures, the former chief minister of Karnataka said.
He also opposed introduction of NCERT syllabus among schoolchildren studying from 1 to 8 class saying this syllabus is against study of history and culture of Karnataka. NCERT books would destroy the State’s history and culture while the new policy would enable students to learn the culture and history of other States, Mr. Siddaramaiah claimed.
On the three-language formula, he alleged that making learning of English and Hindi mandatory would go against the spirit of federalism. The new education policy should be implemented after extensive debate on its merits and demerits in colleges, universities, and student organisations, he said.
On the Union Cabinet reshuffle, the former chief minister tweeted: “If the performances of ministers were the yardstick to reshuffle the cabinet, @narendramodi should have been removed from @PMOIndia first. He is directly responsible for all the failures of @BJP4India govt since 2014”.
Of the six ministers in the Union Council of Ministers, three belong to the Brahmin community, one each from Vokkaliga, Lingayat and Scheduled Caste. No representation was given to the Other Backward Caste communities who constitute a majority of people in Karnataka, the former chief minister alleged.
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