Context

• The introduction of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was presented as a landmark reform in India's education system.
• However, beneath its promises of transformation, the policy masks deeper issues stemming from the government's approach to education.
• Over the last decade, the Union Government has consistently demonstrated an alarming indifference to the true needs of students and educators.
• This negligence is reflected in three primary areas: the centralisation of power, the commercialisation of education, and the communalisation of curricula.

Brazen Centralisation: A Threat to Federalism

• Increasing Centralisation
  • One of the most concerning aspects of the Union Government’s education policy has been the increasing centralisation of decision-making.
  • The Central Advisory Board of Education, which was supposed to ensure collaboration between the Union and State governments, has not met since September 2019.
  • Despite implementing a major policy shift through NEP 2020, the government has not engaged in meaningful consultation with the states.
  • This disregard for federal principles is particularly problematic because education is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Indian Constitution, meaning both the central and state governments have a role in shaping education policy.
• Heavy-Handed Approach
  • Further evidence of this heavy-handed approach is seen in the PM-SHRI scheme, where the Union Government has allegedly withheld Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) funds to pressure states into compliance.
  • These funds, crucial for implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act, are being used as leverage to force state governments to align with central policies.
  • The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education has even condemned this coercive tactic, calling for the unconditional release of SSA funds.
• Centralisation of Higher Education
  • The centralisation of higher education governance is equally troubling.
  • The draft University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines for 2025 effectively strip state governments of their authority in appointing vice-chancellors in universities funded and operated by them.
  • This shift in power toward the Union Government, facilitated through Governors who act as Chancellors, undermines the autonomy of state universities and threatens the federal structure of governance in education.

The Rise of Commercialisation: Education as a Privilege

• Privatisation of Schools
  • Another major issue plaguing India’s education system is its growing commercialization.
  • NEP 2020, while claiming to promote inclusive education, has in reality accelerated the privatisation of schools.
  • The policy’s emphasis on ‘school complexes’ undermines the foundational principles of the Right to Education Act, which guarantees access to nearby primary and upper-primary schools.
  • Instead of strengthening the public school system, the government has closed nearly 90,000 public schools since 2014 while allowing a sharp rise in private schools.
  • This shift has disproportionately harmed the poor, forcing them into an expensive and often unregulated private education system.
• Privatisation of Higher Education
  • In higher education, a similar trend is evident with the introduction of the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
  • Replacing traditional block grants from the UGC, HEFA offers loans at market rates, which universities must repay using their own revenues, primarily student fees.
  • The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education has reported that universities are increasingly burdened with repaying these loans through fee hikes, thereby shifting the financial strain onto students.
  • This policy effectively turns higher education into a privilege accessible only to those who can afford it, eroding the principle of affordable public education.
  • Moreover, the rise of financial corruption in educational institutions is closely tied to this commercialisation.
  • Incidents such as bribery scandals in the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and inefficiencies in the National Testing Agency (NTA) highlight the growing mismanagement and political interference in education governance.

Communalisation of Education: Rewriting History

• The third and perhaps most dangerous aspect of the current education policy is the ideological reshaping of curricula.
• The Government has made deliberate efforts to revise textbooks and syllabi to promote a particular historical and cultural narrative.
• The removal of references to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, Mughal history, and even the Preamble of the Indian Constitution from school textbooks is a clear indication of this trend.
• Public outrage eventually led to the reinstatement of the Preamble, but the larger pattern of historical revisionism remains a cause for concern.
• In higher education, the appointment of professors based on ideological alignment rather than academic merit has become widespread.
• Even prestigious institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have seen leadership positions being filled by individuals with political affiliations rather than scholarly expertise.
• The UGC’s attempts to dilute qualification criteria for academic positions further reflect this effort to prioritise ideological conformity over educational excellence.

The Consequences and the Way Forward

• The combined effects of centralisation, commercialization, and communalization have had devastating consequences for students and educators in India.
• Public education has been systematically weakened, access to quality education has become more unequal, and the ideological tilt in curriculum threatens the integrity of academic discourse.
• To address these issues, it is crucial to restore financial and administrative autonomy to state governments in education policy, reinstate robust public funding for schools and universities, and ensure that curriculum changes are driven by academic expertise rather than political ideology.
• Additionally, greater transparency and accountability are needed to curb corruption in education administration.

Conclusion

• Education is not merely a tool for economic advancement but a fundamental pillar of democracy and social progress.
• If India’s education system continues down its current path, it risks deepening inequalities and undermining the nation’s intellectual and democratic foundations.
• The urgent need of the hour is to reclaim education as a public good, ensuring that it remains accessible, inclusive, and free from political and commercial manipulation.