The HRD ministry has constituted a new nine-member panel headed by space scientist K Kasturirangan to frame a new National Education Policy (NEP).
The other members of the panel include chosen experts and educationists from wide-ranging backgrounds.
The panel includes former IAS officer K.J. Alphonse Kanamthanam, who was instrumental in making Kerala’s Kottayam and Ernakulam districts achieve 100% literacy.
Another member of the panel will be Ram Shanker Kureel who has wide experience in the field of agricultural sciences and management.
He is also the Vice-Chancellor of Baba Saheb Ambedkar University of Social Sciences, Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
The committee also comprises of M.K. Shridhar, former member secretary of the Karnataka State Innovation Council, T.V. Kattimani, an expert on language communication, Dr. Mazhar Asif, professor of Persian at Guwahati University, Krishan Mohan Tripathi, a former director of education, Uttar Pradesh, mathematician Manjul Bhargava from Princeton University and Vasudha Kamat, former vice chancellor of Mumbai’s SNDT University.
The panel members belong to different sections and regions of the country reflecting the diversity of the country.
New Education Policy Committees- In 2015, Narendra Modi Government had set up a committee under former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian to chalk out a new education policy.
- This committee had submitted its report in May 2016. The committee had presented its report in two volumes with around 90 suggestions.
- The other important past committees in Education includes Radhakrishnan Commission (1948-49) on higher education; Mudaliyar Commission (1952) on secondary education and the Kothari Commission (1964-66).
- The Kothari Commission had a mandate to advise the government on the development of education at all stage and in all aspects.
- The Kothari Commission’s report was used to formulate the Education Policy of 1968.
