NEP & Reservations: GS Writes to PM

Date: 
Monday, November 23, 2020

Press Release

CPI(M) General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury, has addressed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his response to the following questions:

Does NEP2020 seek to end the policy of reservations for SC, ST, OBC and disabled in educational institutions? If not, could you please clarify as to why NEP2020 does not contain any mention of reservations?

The full text of the letter sent today is being released.

 

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Shri Narendra Modi

Prime Minister

Sub: The absence of any mention of ‘reservations’ in ‘NEP 2020’

This is to draw your attention that when the new National Education Policy was initially proposed by your government, the CPI(M) had opposed it in the Parliament, for several important reasons. We now see the NEP 2020’s unfolding implementation without any Parliamentary approval. Instead of being discussed with important stakeholders like the state governments (Education is on the Concurrent List), students, teachers, non-teaching staff, educationists and other experts, various elements of NEP 2020 are being rolled out in different parts of the country in an ad hoc piecemeal manner. This is creating grave uncertainties and confusion about the actual direction proposed for the Indian Education system under this new policy, by your government.

I am writing this letter to you to highlight one particular issue which is causing great anxiety especially among SC, ST, OBC communities and the disabled. It is truly shocking that NEP 2020 makes no mention of reservations for these sections, either for admissions or for appointments to teaching and non-teaching positions. In fact, even the word “reservation” does not appear anywhere in the policy document! This has led to widespread concern whether this act of omission is deliberate, conveying the intention to reverse many decades of efforts to integrate quality, quantity and equity in the Indian Education system.

I am, therefore, seeking your clear and categorical response to the following question viz., does NEP2020 seek to end the policy of reservations for SC, ST, OBC and disabled in educational institutions? If not, could you please clarify as to why NEP2020 does not contain any mention of reservations?

Yours sincerely

Sd/-

(Sitaram Yechury)

General Secretary