Union Education & Skill Development Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan while addressing media today raised serious concerns over the Karnataka Government’s decision to scrap NEP in the state. The Minister asked about the repercussions, which such a decision will have for the younger generation.

He asked whether the Karnataka Government was opposed to early childhood care and education as a part of formal education, wondering if the State Government did not want children to achieve Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by the time they complete grade 2. He questioned if the State Government opposed Indian toys, games, play-based learning and ‘Chennemane’ in Karnataka.

He further asked if the State Government opposed education in Kannada and other Bharatiya Bhasha, along with the conducting of examinations, like NEET, CUET, JEE in Kannada, in a transparent manner.

He questioned if the State Government opposed multidisciplinary education, integration of vocational education, physical education, arts and sports as critical areas of study in school education. Does the State Government not want youth of Karnataka to avail world-class research facilities through the National Research Foundation, he further asked.

He questioned the decision of the State Government as to why it did not want students to learn about new and emerging technologies and consequent life skills in the 21st century, while utilising new textbooks relevant for 21st century education. He expressed concerns over the missed opportunities for earning while learning for Karnataka students.  Does the State Government not want teachers’ capacity building to be strengthened through reimagining DIETs and SCERTs as centers-of-excellence, Shri Pradhan further questioned. It’s a decision which would impact the collective future of the state,known for its IT prowess, in the future.

He asked the State Government not to weaponize Education, as such statements on NEP compromise the interests of students of Karnataka.