West Bengal: 6-Member Panel to Discuss NEP 2020; Report to be Released on Aug 15

As per the latest update, the Government of West Bengal has set up a 6-member panel to study the New Education Policy 2020.

The panel appointed by the State Government is expected to submit its report by August 15, 2020.

The Minister of Education informed the media that the Committee was responsible for scrutinizing the issues set out in the new policy and submitting its report to the State by August 15, 2020.

School Teachers, Varsity Professors to be Consulted

The six-member committee set up by the state government consists of educators and experts, including Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University Suranjan Das, retired professor and TMC MP Sougata Roy and educator Pabitra Sarkar and others.

The Committee was asked to consult and gather views from grassroots level , i.e. active school teachers and varsity professors, on their participation in the NEP 2020.

Once all the opinions have been compiled as part of the report, the State Government will share the observations with the Centre.

Also Read:  NEP 2020: New Regulations to Affect Board Exams; Here's all you need to know

Politics over NEP 2020

Previously, the Bengal Minister of Education also called on the Central Government to finalize the new National Education Policy 2020 without the confidence or parliamentary approval of the Member States.

Minister of Education, Partha Chatterjee, said that NEP 2020 was a "copy of the system prevalent in western countries." "I wonder how they (the Center) think they can enforce it without any discussion in Parliament or with the States. That's unilateral," he said.

Also Read:  Academicians from North East skeptical about the Implementation of NEP

About NEP 2020

The new National Education Policy 2020 was approved by the Cabinet on 29 July 2020. The policy will replace the National Education Policy (NPE) of 1986, 34 years old, and is being hailed as a major reform of the Indian education system.

The policy proposes the restructuring of education and higher education in India. At school level, NEP 2020 proposes centralized board examinations for grades 3, 5 and 8 along with a complete limitation of 10th and 12th board examinations.

At higher education level, the policy plans to introduce four-year UG courses along with a single regulator for all institutions.