NEP 2020 undermines role of states, West Bengal not implementing it for time being: Minister

West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee on Monday said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 will not be implemented in the state any time soon, as it undermines the country's federal structure.

Chatterjee, who attended the 'Governors Conference on the Role of NEP in Transforming Higher Education' earlier in the day, also said that he has objected to the Centre's decision of not including Bengali in the list of classical languages, during the meeting.

"There is no question of implementing NEP in the state for the time being. More discussions need to be held on the matter with all stakeholders. We have expressed our reservations about certain aspects of the NEP, as they undermine the country's federal structure and the role of the states," the education minister told reporters.

"Right now, we should focus on fighting the pandemic. There is no rush for NEP implementation," he said. The NEP, approved by the Union Cabinet in July, replaces the 34-year-old National Policy on Education framed in 1986 and is aimed at paving the way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address at the conference, said "maximum flexibility" has to be shown in implementing the policy.

The PM also said that it is natural for stakeholders to have questions about various aspects of the policy and "we are all working to address all these questions".

(Photo Credit: PTI)