Govt to Curb Politics at All Campuses under New Education Policy

Under the new national education policy, a government panel has been entrusted with the task of making suggestions how to restrict political activities in the campuses of various universities and colleges across the country.

The decision came after Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu objected to campus politics in the wake of the JNU and Hyderabad Central University incidents.

The committee is headed by former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian. It recommends that educational institutions should consider derecognising student groups based on religion and caste and also restrict the staying period of the students in the campus.

Expressing concern over the increasing number of student protests, the committee, in its report, states, “ Of late the campuses are witnessing a large number of unto wanted incidents, agitation, gheraos disturbances, other disruptive activities that tend to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the campus.Due to these disturbances, the examinations get delayed or postponed. Most of these disturbances caused by certain malevolent and politically motivated students while ignoring the interest of the majority of the students,”

“Most of these disruptive activities are promoted by students who are enrolled in the Institutes years after years while dropping their exam each year. These students are not motivated to their studies but to gain some benefit out of their prolonged staying in the hostel and taking benefits of the fellowship facilities. There should be a national debate on the subject and prevent them misusing educational facilities at public expense."

The suggestions become very significant in the wake of several protests in JNU and HCU. Due to the controversies, there were frequent disruptions during the Budget session of Parliament this year.

The Subramanian committee has also suggested dilute the clause in the Right to Education Act where minority schools are exempted from providing 25 per cent seats to students from economically weaker sections.

Among the other recommendations that the committee suggested are -making pre-school education a right under the Right to Education Act, Providing the mid-day meal scheme to secondary level, bring yoga in schools, enact legislation called the National Education Promotion and Management Act etc. The HRD Ministry is drafting a policy document based on the report of the committee