Academicians propose People's Education Policy 2025 as alternative to NEP 2020

Concerned about the direction of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a coalition of academicians and education activists has drafted a new framework called the People’s Education Policy (PEP) 2025.

They plan to finalize this alternative policy following comprehensive nationwide consultations.

K Yogarajan, secretary of the Tamil Nadu chapter of the All India Save Education Committee, said, “The PEP proposes secular, scientific, democratic, and universal education, as against ‘communal, undemocratic, anti-scientific, privatized, and commercialized education’ that NEP 2020 represents.”

Among the key proposals of the PEP are allocating at least 10% of the Union budget and 25% of state budgets to education and shifting education back to the State List through a constitutional amendment.

The policy also supports retaining the 10+2+3 education structure and recommends formal schooling for children aged 3 to 17 years.

The draft policy emphasizes traditional classroom learning and calls for the discontinuation of national entrance exams like CUET and NEET.

It advocates for the recruitment of permanent teachers over guest or contractual staff. The PEP also criticizes the Indian Knowledge System, calling it “a design to distort history and inculcate pseudoscience.”

Ramu Manivannan, former professor of political science at the University of Madras, stressed the need for universities to function efficiently and fill faculty positions as required.

He officially released the draft of the PEP, which was received by S. Bakthavatchalam, an office bearer of the Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary Graduate Teachers Association.