An extension of three months has been granted to the government-appointed committee which has been allotted the job of drafting the new education policy. The committee was set up by the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, in June 2017. It was expected to draft the new policy by December 2017 but was given its first extension till March 2018. It is now expected to submit its report by June 2018.
Former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chief, K Kasturirangan heads the panel. The committee comprises of eight members from various sectors of education excluding Kasturirangan. It also includes Manjul Bhargava, a prominent mathematician.
The technical secretariat for the policy drafting committee has been set up in the office of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bengaluru.
The education policy has always provided for the framework on the basis of which the development of education in India takes place. A senior HRD official stated, “The basic work is complete but the committee is now going to hold consultations with various stakeholders, especially experts, and therefore it sought an extension. This requires time and hence the ministry approved it.”
The new policy is believed to deal with attempts to do away with inequality and discrimination in the field of education. It focuses on aspects like that of education for girls, strengthening public institutions with a thrust on traditional knowledge, special attention on language, sports and mathematics at the school level, and dealing with regional inequality.
Since the academic session for schools begins from April while that for colleges begins by June-July, the implementation of the suggestions made by the panel will not be undertaken from this year.