Karnataka government constitutes committee to prepare draft of State Education Policy

The Commission shall submit its report by 28 February  2024.

Committee members

The members of the committee include Prof S Japhet, Founding Director of the UGC-sponsored Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy (CSSEEIP), Dr Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice-Chancellor of National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Dr Sharath Ananthamurthy, Professor, School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, A Narayana, Professor with the School of Policy and Governance, Azim Premji University, among others.

Dr Bhagyavana S Mudigoudra, Special Officer, Department of Higher Education, will act as the member secretary to the Commission and will coordinate and maintain the proceedings of the meeting.

Some of the subject experts/advisors are: 

• Prof Yogendra Yadav, Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi
• Prof Rahamath Tarikere, Retired Professor in Kannada, Kannada University, Hampi
• Prof Janaki Nair, Historian and Retired Professor at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
• Sonam Wangchuk, engineer-turned-education reformer and Director of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL)

Also read: Centre open to views on National Education Policy: Pradhan

To nurture scientific temperament

Taking to X, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “I am confident that this committee will provide suitable recommendations for nurturing scientific temperament, intellectual growth, and necessary education for the holistic development of students.”

“I hope Karnataka’s State Education Policy will serve as a model education policy for the country,” he added.

A committee has been established, under the chairmanship of Prof. Sukhdev Thorat, to prepare the draft of the Karnataka State Education Policy.

I am confident that this committee will provide suitable recommendations for nurturing scientific temperament, intellectual growth, and… pic.twitter.com/hfF6Rymnoz

— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) October 11, 2023

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently said that the state government has decided to scrap the existing National Education Policy introduced by the BJP-led government and formulate a new education policy for the state in the coming year.

During the BJP rule, Karnataka was the first state to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) in 2021 in the country.

The government order shall come into effect immediately, it said and added that all authorities concerned are hereby directed to extend their fullest cooperation and assistance to the commission during its deliberations.

Also read: Experts slam NEP for saying eggs, meat cause lifestyle disorder

DSERT and KSHEC to support

The Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) and Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC), Bengaluru, will provide all administrative/secretariat assistance and logistic support to the Commission. The members of the Commission will be paid Traveling Allowance and Dearness Allowance, as per the extant rules of the Government of Karnataka.

The Department of School Education & Literacy and the Department of Higher Education will appoint nodal officers who will make all necessary arrangements for the Commission covering its meetings, travel, boarding, and lodging of the members.

Karnataka has decided to constitute a Commission to undertake a careful review of the schools and higher education in Karnataka and to suggest policies to achieve a higher enrolment in the schools and higher education; to expand education with improved quality; to provide equal access to all individuals to quality education, the GO in its preamble said.

It also aims to meet the prime goals of education effectively, i.e. imparting scientific knowledge to the students, inculcating democratic values, giving skill and professional education to enhance employability, and giving moral education to build good citizenship among the students.

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