20% MP funds for education, proposes NEP draft

As per the draft of the National Education Policy (NEP), being drawn up by the Human Resource Development ministry, MPs will be asked to contribute 20% of their funds to education. The draft envisages a separate and permanent cadre for education along the lines of administrative, revenue, foreign and police services.

The other key components of the policy will be social services and spirituality. In addition, educational institutions could be asked to adopt villages and participate in social upliftment, and the National Council for Teacher Education could be asked to make BEd a five-year programme.

With the consultation process in its final stage, the government has started the drafting process.

Academicians has been demanding from a long time, to set up a separate cadre for teaching, that is to take education out from the hands of bureaucracy. The report on education commission of 1964-65 by DS Kothari had recommended setting up of a separate cadre for education along the lines of IAS and IRS.

The HRD ministry is also considering the option of setting up an independent commission for education along the lines of the Election Commission of India. The ministry is vetting the report of Hari Gautam Committee that has recommended replacing the UGC with the National Higher Education Authority.

Source: Elets News Network (ENN) Posted on October 17, 2015