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Group set to counter state criticism of new education policy

Dr Jisnu Basu, a scientist at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata, quoted the Vice Chancellor of the Ramkrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Swami Atmapriyananda, and upheld the NEP ’20, which, he said was based on the philosophy and policy of Swami Vivekananda

Group set to counter state criticism of new education policy

(Representational image: iStock)

At a time when the West Bengal government is criticising the Centre by constituting a six-member expert committee to review the new National Education Policy (NEP), another group of Bengali intellectuals has started making plans to counter the committee by highlighting NEP’20 “in the light of New India.”

Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation yesterday organised a webinar to discuss the NEP ’20 announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

One of the speakers, Dr Jisnu Basu, a scientist at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata, quoted the Vice Chancellor of the Ramkrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Swami Atmapriyananda, and upheld the NEP ’20, which, he said was based on the philosophy and education policy of Swami Vivekananda.

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Swami Atmapriyananda, in his official note, said: “Lord Macaulay’s education policy of 1835 for India was crafted on purpose for the colonial dominance by the British and it has unfortunately dominated us for nearly 175 years, even long after our country became free 73 years ago. We have taken a momentous step now, through the NEP 2020, approved and announced recently by the Government of India, in rediscovering our own immortal roots of the ancient Tree of Knowledge (jnana-vriksha) with branches spreading out to scatter broadcast globally the fragrant flowers and delicious fruits of holistic education, where in knowledge, devotion, selfless work and inward contemplation are harmoniously blended.”

Significantly, Dr Basu, quoting Vivekananda as well as Rishi Aravinda, described the NEP ’20 categorically, including the defects of the existing education system and concluded that the new policy is an “India-based education policy for the first time and manifestation of perfection.”

Quoting Rabindranath Tagore’s story ‘Tota Kahini’, (story of a parrot’s education) Dr Basu also said: “The bird, Tota, will come out of the iron cage after the introduction of the NEP 2020.”

On the other hand, principal of the Jogesh Chandra Chowdhury College, Dr Pankaj Kumar Roy, also discussed the new education policy out of his practical experience in the existing education policy. “West Bengal needs a government that has a similar state of mind with the Centre to implement the NEP 2020,” he said. Another nuclear scientist, Dr Nisith Kumar Das, echoed other speakers and described NEP ’20 as a combination of philosophy of both Rishi Aravinda and Vivekananda.

Dr Das also said that higher education institutions need to be empowered through autonomy and how the national education policy focuses on integrating ‘local’ with ‘global’ and production- oriented idea for national research foundation.

In response to some questions, Dr Das said: “A group is criticising it, but NEP ’20 has upheld the present status of Bengali language.”

Another speaker, Dr Anirban Ganguly, the director of the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the NEP ’20 on 7 August quoting Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy to mark Tagore’s death anniversary, Baishe Shrabon, as the NEP ’20 is also based on the philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore. A group of people in Bengal is artificially criticising Gujarati. We need to hit back at those who are preparing to oppose the new education policy.”

Mentioning Tagore’s visit to Gujarat in 1930 for resource mobilization to set up an educational institution at Santiniketan, Dr Ganguly said: “Dr Parth Shah, the president of the Centre for Civil Society, and eminent public policy expert, and Shakti Sinha, the Director of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Policy Research and International Studies, Gujarat, also discussed ‘Understanding NEP 2020.”

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