New Education Policy to be Ready by 2015-ends

Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani has decided to come up with new education policy despite the allegations of saffronising the education. Irani wants to improve the quality of education and expect accountability from the teachers to serve the interests of students across India. While addressing the Education Conclave of a Media Company, Smriti Irani said that she wants to spruce up the education sector in India. But she felt, she has been selectively targeted by these vested interests who accused her of saffronising the education sector. Irani, however, was unperturbed but she is determined to pursue her mission. "I have been selectively targeted. There has been a selective outrage against what I have been doing as it is convenient. It is also convenient sometimes not to challenge cosy clubs. After a very long time I am asking the academics to be accountable. They are just reacting against it. You are bound to be attacked when you challenge the status quo," Irani said. The minister also said that while framing the new education policy, suggestions of people from villages and districts have been utilized, and the draft education policy shall be ready by the end of 2015. "Our last education policy had been formulated over two decades back but the world has changed a lot since then. We launched a project to formulate another one this January and made people participate in the exercise. Earlier, a select band of bureaucrats, academicians and politicians used to make this policy, but we have been asking people what they want their children to study. Aspirations vary across India. This is the first such endeavour in India," she said. Irani was pretty tough while responding to queries regarding her alleged tiff with the bureaucracy. "Men are seen as tough. But when a woman like me wants to be tough they are called temperamental. This is a prejudice," she said. "On many occasions, I had been advised on several matters to put the interests of students at stake. For example, someone told me to compromise the future of students in private technical colleges. But I could not do that," she added further.