Shivakumar emphasised the importance of preserving state autonomy in education, noting that Southern states' educational excellence is unmatched and must be protected.
Published Feb 05, 2025 | 5:06 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 05, 2025 | 6:36 PM
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Karnataka DyCM DK Shivakumar
Synopsis: Southern states are mounting opposition to the National Education Policy, with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar urging collective pressure on the Centre to withdraw the controversial policy. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have rejected the NEP, citing its disregard for regional needs and linguistic diversity. The UGC’s recent guidelines granting governors power over vice-chancellor appointments have further heightened tensions between southern states and the Centre.
The southern states must build pressure on the Centre and University Grants Commission to withdraw the controversial National Education Policy (NEP), Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said in Bengaluru on Wednesday, 5 February.
“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,” Shivakumar told a conclave of Ministers for Higher Education from various states.
“Karnataka has been the pioneer in the field of education in the country. Students from North India have been queuing up to the state for higher education for more than three decades. Karnataka has over 70 medical colleges and 250 engineering colleges. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh too have good colleges,” he continued.
“Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad have been pioneers in creating top international educationists. There is no match for the Southern states when it comes to education. We need to preserve this excellence.”
Karnataka has already rejected NEP and formed its own state education policy commission.
Shivakumar emphasised the importance of preserving state autonomy in education. “Our federal structure is unique and our Constitution offers many rights. There is diversity in language too. We should not be competing at the national level but at the international level. For this, we need to change the NEP,” he noted.
The deputy chief minister identified vice-chancellor appointments as a key challenge. “We need to bring in reforms at the University level too. The appointment of Vice-Chancellors is a key challenge before us. Indians have adorned top positions in many Western universities. We need to take the opinion of experts to take our education system global,” he said.
Since its introduction in 2020, the National Education Policy has aroused controversies over its proposed content and implementation.
Initial position papers suggested incorporating Vedic mathematics, Arthashastra (ancient Indian economics), and Pancha Bhoota (traditional elements theory) into curricula. They also questioned established scientific principles, including the Pythagoras theorem, drawing criticism from academics.
In response, the Karnataka Congress government established a 15-member State Education Policy Commission in October 2023, led by former UGC chairman Prof Sukhadeo Thorat.
The commission, supported by eight subject experts including education reformer Sonam Wangchuk and historian Janaki Nair, was tasked with drafting a state-specific policy.
States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala have expressed similar resistance to the policy, similarly drafting state education policies, arguing that the national framework overlooks regional educational needs and linguistic diversity.
Karnataka, which first implemented NEP under BJP rule in 2021, has now, under the Congress government, sought to position itself at the forefront of the opposition to the NEP.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar’s comments come in the wake of south states, except NDA ally TDP-ruled Andhra Pradesh, expressing opposition to the recently released University Grants Commission draft guidelines, terming them as an attempt to centralise educational powers.
The guidelines, released on 6 January, propose significant changes to higher education governance, including granting governors authority to appoint vice-chancellors at state universities through search-cum-selection committees.
Non-BJP states view this as an infringement on state autonomy and have raised concerns about potential political appointments overshadowing academic considerations.
Jairam Ramesh took to X and said, “The Constitutional principle of federalism is sacrosanct, and the quality of higher education should be one of the ultimate endeavors of the Ministry of Education. The National Education Policy 2020 does not prevail over either, and the justification that the Rules have been updated for compliance with the NEP 2020 does not withstand scrutiny. These draft Regulations must be rolled back immediately.”
At the State Higher Education Ministers Conclave held today in Bengaluru by @drmcsudhakar, six Ministers from Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand adopted a 15 point resolution on the UGC’s draconian draft Regulations, 2025.
The Constitutional… pic.twitter.com/gdj0P1KRKs
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 5, 2025
The guidelines also propose strict action against institutions failing to meet PhD quality standards, including banning certain universities from awarding doctoral degrees.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
