india

Updated: Jun 04, 2019 07:04 IST

The new draft education policy (NEP) has taken an overarching view that states will have the necessary prerogative to decide on the choice of languages for school-going students and that there is no question of coercion or imposition, said former chairperson of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K Kasturirangan, who headed the panel that formulated the draft NEP.

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Kasturirangan said a controversial clause that mandated compulsory Hindi teaching to middle school students in non-Hindi-speaking states was a “little misstep” compared to the overall spirit of the language policy. His comments came shortly after the Centre revised the provision to leave the choice of language unspecified. “We had an alternative formulation that was also approved by the committee. We thought that will send the right message with respect to the three language policy adopted by the states. There is no question of coercion, it is for the states to decide. The question of Hindi being imposed does not arise.”

Kasturirangan pointed out that the last policy was drafted 25 years ago, so the new draft NEP was the first in the era of the internet. He also mooted a three-tier higher education system comprising research university, teaching university and undergraduate colleges.