Several faculty members of colleges and universities on Monday expressed concern over the “anti-teacher” national education policy, alleging that the central government wants to “hand over the entire education system to corporates”.
The United Forum for the Movement on Education, an umbrella organization of teachers and student unions, alleged that the government was trying to drive teachers out of the teaching profession by pushing for digitalisation.
When the NEP came, people were told that the plan was to make education student-centric. But the real purpose was to remove teachers from the equation. Delhi University’s Hindi department professor Arvanada alleged that teachers are insulted in universities. Teachers have been harassed for the past few years. The public is told teachers are wasting taxpayers’ money. So now the teachers are being targeted’ – he claimed.
Addressing a press conference at the Press Club of India here on Teachers’ Day, members of the United Forum for Movement on Education expressed displeasure over the deteriorating situation of teachers after the implementation of NEP.
Another teacher complained that the government no longer wants to bear the expenses of the teachers. They are emphasizing on digitalization. You can read everything online. You can take many courses online from different universities. You do not need a teacher, – he said.
An Associate Professor at St. Stephen’s College, N. Narayan said, we see the condition of teachers is pathetic, the condition of education is never bad. Teachers are struggling for regular employment and worried about their job status.
They are worried about pension. His life has become miserable. Now the same is being done to exclude them from education. Attempts are being made to exclude teachers from education in the name of student-centric policy – added Ms. Narayan.
Privatization campaign of NEP will increase fees in colleges. Now private companies will decide the fee structure. They want to stop people from thinking. Students will watch online videos at home. There will be no community. People learn from discussion. The idea is to end the university as a community,’ Menon said.
