SHILLONG:
Opposition AITC state president Charles Pyngrope, on August 31, asserted the need to accord space and time to deliberate and decide on the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Meghalaya.
“Because of the multifarious frames of opposition to the NEP (a 65-page document), I had already looked into the issue whereby my primary intent was and is that we need to accord space and time to deliberate and decide on the matter, instead of enforcing it without due diligence having been conducted by all stakeholders in this context,” Pyngrope said in a statement.
He said that the contents of the NEP, per se, are meritorious, especially the reflections on the nation’s ancient past, embracing a rich heritage and an educational culture of immeasurable worth and value. “India was once the epicentre of superlatively distinguished educational excellence. Any effort to resuscitate the prevailing educational status quo, and to resurrect our standing in the matter, must be architected by clear and compelling critical and creative thinking,” the statement said.
The Nongthymmai legislator said there are two imminent considerations regarding the immediate implementation of NEP 2020.
“The seed investments across the State with a panoramic range of grants to upgrade existing scenarios: There has to be a realistic budget for this initiative, with the funds credited in place before any immediate action can be enacted by our authorities,” he said.
“From Page 1 of the NEP 2020, the point has been made clear as to the official expectations declared by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (Government of India). In this regard, I wish to reiterate my position on the matter, that we should be graced with space and time to design and deliver on the NEP 2020 mandate,” he added.
Further, Pyngrope said that the contents of the NEP exhibit an ambitiously envisioned course of action for our nation to excel at every level of education.
“In tandem, we are equally impassioned about our State (Meghalaya) evolving with distinctions at every milestone in our endeavours to activate the NEP 2020. To do so, as already emphasised, we need the relevant investments in time, space, financing, and expertise in knowledge and skills, for justice to be actioned across all aspects of the mandate presently under scrutiny,” he stated.
Pyngrope was clarifying on reports stating that the AITC had called for halt to implementation of the NEP in Meghalaya.
Stating that his statement was being taken out of context, he said, “… the media questions posed to me about the NEP 2020 manifesto came in the wake of my recent brief informal conversation with the former Principal of St. Edmunds College is not the view of that esteemed institution or of the former Principal himself; any connections attributed to the college or school has no relevance to what I had stated to the media. The exchanges between us were very positive and supportive of the collective interests of our academic authorities, in governance and in education.”