Reject NEP: Kerala, Tamil Nadu education ministers oppose National Education Policy, NEET, CUET

NEW DELHI: Kerala and Tamil Nadu education ministers R Bindu and K Ponmudy slammed the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) at a national convention organised by the All India Students Federation (AISF) in Chennai.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu will fight together to protect democracy, secularism and social justice in the education sector, Kerala Education Minister Bindu said.

Also read | Health plan, toilet ratio, admission guidelines in Kerala’s ‘School Manual’

She reportedly said that the new education policy does not say anything about accessible education for tribal students living in rural and hilly areas. She further alleged that this was an attempt to exclude those students from education. There is no guarantee of quality education, she added.

At the “Reject NEP” convention, the Tamil Nadu education minister Ponmudy said the NEP would increase dropout rate at schools and colleges. He said that the common exams for Class 3, 5 and 8 will increase dropouts and so will the multiple exit options at degree level.

Saying that Tamil Nadu has been opposing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the minister appealed to students to protest against the imposition of NEP 2022. The minister also talked about the introduction of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and said it was “unacceptable”, as per reports.

Also Read | ‘No Autonomy Possible’: In NEP, CUET, teachers see erosion of academic freedom

Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Maharashtra Minister for Housing Jitendra Awhad were also present. The resolutions passed in the convention include rejecting NEP, withdrawal of NEET, CUET and to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET exam, it said.

புதிய தேசிய கல்விக் கொள்கை 2020ஐ நிராகரிப்போம் என்ற தலைப்பில் சென்னையில் அனைத்திந்திய மாணவர் பெருமன்றம் ஏற்பாடு செய்திருந்த தேசிய கருத்தரங்கில் கேரள கல்வித்துறை அமைச்சர் தோழர் @rbinducpm கலந்து கொண்டு உரையாற்றினார். #RejectNEP #LeftAlternative Read More: https://t.co/qdtSn7vDKg pic.twitter.com/4aexgAkZ4f

— CPIM Tamilnadu (@tncpim) May 16, 2022

On May 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the implementation of NEP 2020 and suggested that a hybrid system with both online and offline learning should be introduced to avoid overexposure to technology in school students.