SHILLONG, Aug 7: The Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) has called for a comprehensive discussion with the North Eastern Hill University and the government to address their concerns and ensure that the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not compromise the educational standards and equity in the state.
On Saturday, the MCTA decided to continue with its non-cooperation movement against the decision of NEHU to implement the NEP without the Academic Council’s approval.
MCTA general secretary, Airpeace W. Rani said the association is convinced that the NEP has inherent issues that could adversely affect the quality of education and overall welfare of the students.
He said the association hoped its movement would make the authorities consider their demands and work towards a more suitable and practical educational framework for Meghalaya.
Stating that the legitimacy of the decision to implement the NEP is questionable, Rani said accepting the policy not approved by the Academic Council could be seen as upholding illegitimacy, which directly contradicts the educational goal of fostering critical thinking and promoting democratic values.
“It is accepted that change is inevitable and the implementation of NEP 2020 is a change that is mammoth and intricate. It entails preparedness of mindset, infrastructure, teaching-learning resources, and evaluation tools to mention a few. It is an irony that a kind of perceptual myopia is being portrayed among the authorities at the level of the university, the state government, and the institutional heads,” he said.
The MCTA general secretary stated that the NEP was rolled out without adequate orientation for teachers to deal with the new curriculum.
This includes servicing the course content, paper setting, assessment according to credit score, and internship of exiting students, he said. “The institutions were also not provided with the necessary orientation or capacity-building measures to handle the transition effectively,” he added.
“There was a lack of foresight in visualising the potential challenges of implementing the NEP. Additionally, there were no concrete preparations to tackle these foreseeable issues, leading to a reactive rather than proactive approach,” Rani said.
He further said the addition of more papers to the curriculum not only increases the workload for the teachers and students but also exacerbates management issues.
Pointing out that the NEP might contribute to stress and confusion rather than improving the quality of education, he said the major thrust of the new policy is on skill-based education.
“The concern regarding this skill development is pressing. We are certain that colleges do not have in place teachers who have the knowledge and expertise, infrastructure, and facilities to foster skill development. Moreover, we also apprehend that the transaction of this course would be by classroom lectures and the supply of reading materials, which would be a complete contradiction with the aims and principles of skill-based education,” he said.
Rani also pointed out that the state government has abstained from providing financial assistance for implementing the NEP.
“This puts a financial strain on the institutions, potentially compromising the quality of education and creating further barriers to implementation. In smaller states like Meghalaya, with a relatively low population, getting 3,000 students enrolled in a single institution as suggested by the NEP 2020 is nearly impossible. This raises serious concerns about the feasibility of the policy,” he observed.
He stated that clustering of colleges, another proposal of NEP 2020, would pose major challenges in rural areas where there are typically only one or two colleges.
According to him, in cities like Shillong, the concept is fraught with issues such as transportation problems, potentially leading to the closure of some colleges.
“The introduction of both 3-year and 4-year degree programmes could create an educational hierarchy. If employers prefer 4-year degrees, it may disadvantage 3-year degree holders. Conversely, treating both degrees equally could devalue the additional year of the 4-year degree, adding to confusion and uncertainty,” he said.
Rani also stated that it is unclear how colleges would be able to provide scholarships and tuition fee waivers to students under NEP 2020.
“Without clear guidance or funding from the government, this could put additional financial strain on educational institutions. An absolutely ill-defined syllabus in which only the first-year syllabus is in place shows the drama behind the scene where teachers and students alike will be treading into the world of the unknown,” he said.
