HRD Ministry drafts new education policy

Smriti Irani, Minister for Human Resources Development, announced that a new education policy will be brought into effect, revamping the old one that was framed almost 30 years ago.

This new education policy was expected to come out in 2015.

The drafts for this policy called for suggestions, and about 30,000 suggestions have been received up until last year.

It was noted that recommendations made to the policy draft will require several amendments being made to the Right To Education Act, 2009.

The proposal to extend 25% quota in private schools to minority institutions would require a major amendment to the Act.

Another clause is the RTE banning grade repetition till Class 8, while the policy aims to reduce it to Class 5.

The HRD Ministry, headed by Smriti Irani, is chalking out a record based on the recommendations for the new education policy.

The Ministry plans to draft this note, prepared by a panel headed by TSR Subramanian, to other states to obtain their review and consultation.

It is after almost 3 decades, that a new education policy is being drafted.

The recommendations placed forward targeted the in-depth understanding of the concepts taught to a student, rather than promoting rote memorisation.

It also directed attention to how focus should not be solely on the student's performance in the board examinations.

It also suggested a complete overhaul of the recruitment processes for hiring vice-chancellors, citing past irregularities concerning this process.