AIFRTE demands rollback of NEP 2020, equitable quality education; Protest on March 14

NEW DELHI: The All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE) will be organising a joint protest from 12: 30 PM to 4:30 PM on March 14, 2023 at Jantar Mantar. The forum seeks state-funded, free and equitable quality education and rollback of the national education policy (NEP) 2020.

In a letter, the AIFRTE Delhi coordination committee emphasised the increase of exclusion of SC, ST, OBC and Muslim minority students from education. The committee has called NEP 2020 "the process of privatization and commodification of education".

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NEP 2020 drawbacks

The letter pointed out events such as closures and mergers of government schools, de-funding of higher educational institutions, withdrawing of scholarship schemes in schools and higher education and enormous fee hikes as a reason to revoke the NEP 2020.

In addition to this, the letter also mentioned University Grants Commission (UGC) draft regulation allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India with 100% reparation of profits without regulation or upper limit and how becomes a barrier to access equitable education in India.

"We are witnessing rapid fee hike and promotion of self-financed courses, on the other hand, In the past few years, there has been a massive downward trend in funding for different scholarship schemes catering to SC/ST, OBC, minority and disabled students," read the AIFRTE letter.

We demand State-funded, completely Free and Equitable Quality Education for All from KG to PG!

Roll Back NEP 2020!

Join the Protest Dharna at Jantar Mantar on 14th March 2023 from 12:30 PM to 04:30 PM@AIFRTE @AISA_tweets pic.twitter.com/Bt6pZhC7gO

— Prasenjeet (@PrasenjeetKuma6) March 10, 2023

Also Read | Urgent need to revise income criteria for Post Matric scholarship for SC students: Parliament panel

AIFRTE demands

• The forum has demanded an increase in budgetary allocation on education to ensure the constitutional fundamental right to free, quality and universal education on all levels.
• To allow the growth of the sector, funding of higher education institutions must only be through grants instead loans that will lead to promotion of market-oriented self-financing courses.
• The AIFTRE also demands the reinstatement of the pre-matric scholarships for SC/ST/Minority/Girl students.
• The body has also asked authorities to extend scholarships for marginalized sections up to class 12.
• School Teacher vacancies, along with the positions of principal and all other necessary staff in schools, should be filled immediately. In addition to this, no contract-based appointments should be made against permanent vacancies. Existing contract staff should receive in-house training wherever necessary and made permanent.
• To avoid shutting down of schools in multiple areas, the authorities must scrap the school closure/merger policy which has been further promoted through NEP 2020.
• Watered down syllabi, government propagandist programs and vocational courses should not be thrusted upon children from working class, tribal and marginalised backgrounds.
• Nutritional needs of the students must be met in schools through proper breakfast, mid-day-meal and substantial afternoon snacks being provided free of cost.
• Withdraw centralized CUET as the mode of admissions to undergraduate programmes for central universities. Standardization has favoured CBSE students over other state boards, which has been reflected in the 97 percent CBSE intake this year in DU with a big drop in admissions of girl students.
• The Right to Unionise must be guaranteed to students as well as all members- of the university community. Running universities like private enterprises through Board of Governers’ goes against the very idea of the autonomy of public education.