National Education Policy is a major reform in decades that will affect millions of students
A six-member committee of educationists in West Bengal will look into the National Education Policy - a major reform in decades that will affect millions of students in India - over allegations that the centre's move doesn't have the sanction of parliament or concurrence of the states.
"Our main objection is that education is a subject on the concurrent list. Parliament was not consulted, states weren't consulted, even though the Prime Minister has said everyone had been consulted," Bengal Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said.
"It is a matter of regret that none of us were in the deciding committee. Not one educationist from Bengal, not one from the government. Who will pay for the infrastructure? Polices that have been debated for 70 years were suddenly adopted. What is the magic?" Mr Chatterjee said.
"Now they are saying 6 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product). Where is the money? Many unanswered questions. They have to be resolved," he added.
The six-member committee that will examine the National Education Policy or NEP includes Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, vice chancellors of Rabindra Bharati and Jadavpur University Sabyasachi Roy Chowdhury and Surandan Das, and educationists Pabitra Sarkar, Nrisingha Bhaduri and Avik Majumdar.
Organisations working in the field of education, teachers' associations and others have been requested to send their feedback to the state Education Minister by August 15.
"We will examine all views that reach us," Mr Chatterjee said. "I hope our views will be heard and responded to," he added.
Bengal's move to form the committee comes a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said the three-language formula in the NEP is "painful and saddening" and the state won't implement the new policy.
Mr Palaniswami listed the consistent stand by late Chief Ministers Anna Durai, MGR and Jayalalithaa to express against imposition of Hindi and urged Prime Minister Modi to "reconsider" the three-language policy.
The minister also referred to the anti-Hindi agitation by Tamil Nadu students in 1965 when attempts were made by the Congress government to make Hindi the official language.
The Centre will not impose any language on any state, Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank clarified through a tweet in Tamil to former Union Minister from the state, Pon Radhakrishnan, on Sunday.
Mr Nishank said he was looking forward to the guidance of the ex-central minister in implementing NEP in Tamil Nadu.
"I once again like to insist that the Central government will not impose any language on any state," he said.