State Education Policy: Oppn attacks Bengal govt, says it has money to hike salary of ministers but little to spend on education
Defending the government, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad leader Trinankur Bhattacharya said, “If the state government is welcoming private investment for the betterment of education, then we have no problem. But control should be with the state government.”
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Criticising the policy, BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “The state government has already started privatising educational institutions silently. Public educational institutes are being grabbed by the ruling party". (Photo source: FB/ Samik Bhattacharya) Opposition parties in Bengal accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of promoting privatisation through the recently published ‘State Education Policy, 2023’.
Criticising the policy, BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “The state government has already started privatising educational institutions silently. Public educational institutes are being grabbed by the ruling party. People have no faith in state-run universities and schools. So, they are also going to private institutions. Only the Governor is trying to save those institutions and for this reason, ruling party leaders are attacking him.”
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), also attacked the state education policy. SFI State Secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said, “The state education policy is a straight copy of NEP, 2020. The state government is also propagating privatisation as much as the Union government does. The government says it does not have money; how did it then increase the salary of ministers? This is all a ploy to sell the public education sector. The state government has already planned to close down 8,000 schools.”
Notably, the new education policy says, “Given the present financial constraints of the government, it is untenable that the new policy can be wholly implemented with support from the government. It is necessary to explore the possibilities of private funding. Private funding of education is not new. Some of the best universities in the world are privately funded. Of late, some private universities in India are also providing excellent academic service.”
The policy document further says, “The State has adopted a well-formulated policy to promote private investment in the Higher Education sector. Presently there are 11 private universities in the State. Some state-aided universities have already started collaborating with private universities to promote joint teaching and research programmes. In order to unlock the potential of private universities and state-aided universities through optimal utilisation of resources, the state should frame a policy to promote extensive collaboration in teaching-learning process and research between private and state-aided universities. Reputed HEIs (higher education institutes) from outside the State may now also be invited to make their presence in the State.”
Defending the government, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad leader Trinankur Bhattacharya said, “If the state government is welcoming private investment for the betterment of education, then we have no problem. But control should be with the state government.”
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