国际英语资讯:Indias new education policy evokes mixed reaction_时事

国际英语资讯:Indias new education policy evokes mixed reaction

Giving in to the demands of southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, which have been alleging that there was always a pressure from the north India on imposing Hindi as the national language, the NEP-2020 ensures that no language will be imposed on anyone.

One of the provisions of the new policy says that teaching up to at least Grade-5 would be in mother tongue, or regional language, in different states across the country.

Federal Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal said that all languages will be taught in an enjoyable style, with early reading and subsequently writing in the mother tongue. Skills will be developed for reading and writing in other languages in Grade-3 and beyond, according to the minister.

He added that the three-languages formula in the NEP-2020 encompasses two native languages along with English.

Critical of some aspects of the NEP-2020, an editorial in English daily "Hindustan Times" on Friday stated that though the policy talks of increasing public investment in education sector (from 4.3 percent to 6 percent), "there is no time-frame given".

It further said that only increasing investments will not be a panacea, to improve the overall quality of education. "There has to be realistic budgeting, flexibility in tweaking of priorities, and a strong leadership.

According to the editorial, many experts feel that while the NEP talks of social inequalities at length, its political and economic goals are "diffused". It further suggested that the Centre Government must take state governments onboard and allow a full-fledged discussion in the Parliament on the new policy.