Bengaluru, Feb 5 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday called on states to build pressure on the Union government and the University Grants Commission to withdraw the 'flawed' National Education Policy (NEP).
Addressing a conclave of Ministers for Higher Education from various states, he said, "The National Education Policy rolled out by the Union government has many flaws. The Karnataka government has gone ahead and brought in some amendments. The output from this conclave must reach the Centre." According to him, Karnataka has been a pioneer in the field of education in the country.
"Students from North India have been making a beeline to our state for more than three decades now. Karnataka has over 70 medical colleges and 250 engineering colleges. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh too have good colleges," Shivakumar said.
"Our federal structure is unique, and our Constitution offers many rights. There is also diversity in language. We should not be competing at the national level but at the international level. For this, we need to change the NEP," he added.
He also emphasised that reforms must be made at the university level.
"The appointment of Vice-Chancellors is a key challenge. Indians have held top positions in many Western universities. We need to take the opinions of experts to make our education system global," said Shivakumar.
According to him, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad have been pioneers in the creation of top international educationists.
"There is no match for the southern states when it comes to education. Home Minister Parameshwara and I run many educational institutions and have enormous experience. We are aware of the changes in the education sector," he added.
He said it is important to preserve education standards and provide a good future for the youth. "So, we really need to send a message to the Centre about the NEP," Shivakumar said.
The conclave was organised by Karnataka’s Department of Higher Education to discuss the provisions of the draft UGC regulations. PTI JR SSK KH