Bengaluru, Aug 16 (IANS): The Karnataka government decision to scrap the National Education Policy (NEP) from the next academic year has drawn criticism from various quarters.

T. V. Mohandas Pai, chairperson of Manipal Global Education and former CFO and board member at Infosys, has slammed the Congress government for its decision to do away with the NEP.

Pai stated on social media that, “Very wrong decision! NEP is a framework, set of principles which give flexibility to Ed institutions and greater autonomy. States can modify, change! Why is the future of our youth compromised for political reasons? Where are the consultations?"

The Karnataka Congress government on August 14 declared that it would scrap the NEP of the BJP government from the next academic year.

Chief Minister SIddaramaiah making the announcement stated, “the NEP implemented by the previous BJP government would be scrapped from the next academic year. Certain required preparation has to be done before scrapping the NEP. There was no time available in the current academic year for this. When the government was formed following the elections, the academic year had begun.”

The NEP faces stiff opposition from students, parents, teachers and lecturers. The BJP has sacrificed the interests of the students from the state by implementing the NEP in the state on an experimental basis and by not implementing it in all states, Siddaramaiah charged.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had announced that the Congress won’t implement the NEP. Instead, the government would formulate a new education policy. Shivakumar had dubbed the NEP as the Nagpur Education Policy referring to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur city.

Commenting on the development, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had stated, “to implement the National Education Policy in Karnataka, nearly three years have been taken. The committee headed by U.R. Rao was set up and consent from all states obtained. After this, before implementation, a task force was formed and then it was implemented in higher and primary education.”

Bommai urged the state government to rethink the decision. "It is a great sin to undermine our children's future and scrap the NEP for politics," he said.

The NEP is designed to suit the needs of the present day. The blueprint of the NEP was okayed by the Siddaramaiah led Congress government between 2013 to 2018. The expert committee headed by Kasturirangan had worked on it. Kasturirangan who evolved the education policy for Karnataka, has framed the NEP for the whole country, he stated.

The move by the Congress government is nothing but gambling over the future of the children. When a system which is there across the country is not available in the state, how are our children going to compete? Bommai questioned.

He added that this is going to be a big setback for children from rural backgrounds. Siddaramaiah should not see the NEP with prejudiced eyes, he should rather consider the future of students and review the decision. If he will not it will become inevitable to launch an agitation along with parents and institutions of education, he warned.