Lok Sabha Question No. 1 (STARRED), answered on 2015-11-30
Subject: New Education Policy
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: JOSE K. MANI, DALPAT SINGH PARASTE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 1

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.11.2015

## New Education Policy

## *1. SHRI JOSE K. MANI:

## SHRI DALPAT SINGH PARASTE:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  suggestions  have  been  received  from  various  quarters  to  bring  a  new education policy;
- (b) if so, the present status in this regard;
- (c)  whether  the  States  have  their  own  education  policy  and  if  so, the  details  in  this regard;
- (d)  the  extent  to  which  the  new  policy  is  likely  to  be  dovetailed  with  the  States' policies; and
- (e) the guidelines likely to be framed in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the table of the House.

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## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  TO  (e)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 1 FOR REPLY ON 30.11.2015 ASKED BY SHRI JOSE K. MANI AND SHRI DALPAT SINGH PARASTE REGARDING NEW EDUCATION POLICY

(a) to (e): The Government of India has undertaken an unprecedented collaborative, multi-stakeholder and multi-pronged consultation process for formulating the New Education Policy (NEP). The threepronged consultation process included online, grassroots and national level thematic deliberations.

The  online  consultation  process  was  undertaken  on  www.MyGov.in    portal  from  26 th January,  2015  to  31 st October,  2015  and  nearly  29,000  suggestions  have  been  received  on  the  33 identified themes.

An extensive,  time-bound,  participative,  bottom-up  consultative  process  across  nearly  2.5 lakh  Gram Panchayats, 6600 Blocks, 6000 Urban  Local Bodies, 676 districts and 36 States/Union Territories was carried out between May to October, 2015 and so far 1,00,206 villages, 5155 Blocks, 1201 ULBs, 573 districts and 11 States have uploaded their suggestions on https://survey.mygov.in. Some states have conveyed that they have completed the consultations and have asked for more time for uploading the suggestions.

A meeting was held by the Minister of Human Resource Development on 21 st March, 2015 with Education Ministers, Secretaries and other senior officials of the State Governments in which the consultation  process,  including  the  process  of  uploading  the  recommendations  on  MyGov,  was explained in detail and suggestions of States on the process as well as the themes were also invited.

The  Government  has  also  conducted  thematic  consultations  through  University  Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education, National Council for Teacher Education and several  centrally  funded  universities  and  institutions,  autonomous  bodies,  attached  offices  having domain  expertise  on  the  individual  themes  by  inviting  all  relevant  stakeholders  including  experts, academics, industry representatives, civil society etc. in July-October, 2015. Further, the Ministry is holding the thematic consultations in which experts having domain expertise have been invited for deliberations.

The consultation process was one of the agenda points in the meeting of Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE) held on 19 th August 2015. Views of all States and members of CABE were  invited  on  the  consultation  process  and  the  themes.  Six  Zonal  Meetings  were  held  by  the Minister of Human Resource Development in Eastern, Central, North-Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern  Zones  covering  all  States  and  UTs  in  September-October  2015  which  was  attended  by Education  Ministers  and  officials  of  the  respective  States/UTs.  States  will  be  submitting  their outcome documents with suggestions.

Until 1976, Education under the Indian Constitution was in the State list. The Centre could only  provide  guidance  to  the  States  on  policy  issues.  In  1976,  the  Constitution  was  amended  to include education in the Concurrent List. Education, being in the Concurrent list, is the responsibility of  both  Centre  as  well  as  the  State  Governments.  Education  policy  is  being  formulated  after consultation  with  all  stakeholders  including State Governments. State governments are at liberty to give suggestions as per their policy, if any.

The  Government  of  India has  constituted  a  Committee  for  drafting  the  New  Education Policy (NEP) named as 'Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy'. The Committee will consist  of  Shri  T.S.R.  Subramanian,  Former  Cabinet  Secretary  as  the  Chairman  and  Smt.  Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary, NCT of Delhi, Shri Sevaram Sharma, former Home Secretary, NCT of Delhi, Shri Sudhir Mankad, former Chief Secretary, Gujarat & Prof. J.S. Rajput, former Director, NCERT  as  members  of  the  Committee.  The  Committee  will  examine  the  outcome  documents, recommendations and suggestions received and formulate a draft National Education Policy as well as a Framework for Action (FFA).

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