Context: The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Kerala citing that it cannot compel any state to adopt NEP 2020.
While the Centre claims that the NEP promotes multilingualism, Tamil Nadu argues that it puts unfair pressure on non-Hindi-speaking states.
Relevance of the topic:
Prelims: Key facts about National Education Policy 2020.
Mains: Debate surrounding three language formula in NEP.
Major Highlights:
- The SC has stated that the court does not have the power to compel a state to follow a central policy like the National Education Policy 2020. Under Article 32 of Indian Constitution, the court can only intervene when there is a violation of fundamental rights due to the policy’s implementation.
Key Facts
- Education is on the Concurrent list of Schedule 7 of Indian Constitution, enabling both the Centre as well as the states to enact laws. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment moved education from the State List to the Concurrent List.
- The Right of Education Act, under Article 21A, makes education a fundamental right of every child between the ages of 6-14 and specifies minimum norms in elementary schools.
- Article 32 of Indian Constitution grants every individual the right to move the Supreme Court for the enforcement of their fundamental rights.
- The NEP 2020 is the latest education policy in India (after NEP 1986). It is founded on the five guiding pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability. It proposes various reforms in school education as well as higher education including technical education.
Read More- National Education Policy 2020: National Education Policy 2020