Karnataka's NEP alternative: Thorat panel to submit report by mid-June after multiple delays
After several missed deadlines, the Sukhdev Thorat-led Karnataka state education policy committee is set to submit its final report in the second week of June. Constituted in October 2023 as part of the Congress government's pre-poll promise to replace the National Education Policy (NEP), the committee was initially expected to submit its report by February 2024.
The deadline was then pushed to May 2024, with an interim report submitted in the meantime. The panel later sought a six-month extension, and the final deadline was extended to May 31, 2025. Higher Education Minister M C Sudhakar on Monday confirmed that the committee will submit the report to the chief minister soon. He was speaking at the launch of a quarterly magazine published by the Karnataka State Higher Education Council.
In October 2023, the Karnataka government, led by the Congress, established a 15-member State Education Policy Commission under the chairmanship of Prof Sukhdev Thorat, former University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman, to draft a new education policy to replace NEP 2020. The commission includes prominent educationists and experts like Prof Yogendra Yadav, Sonam Wangchuk, and Dr Sudhir Krishnaswamy.
The Congress-led government announced its intent to withdraw NEP 2020, citing concerns over its hasty implementation, lack of state consultation, and infrastructural challenges. Karnataka, notably the first state to adopt NEP 2020 in 2021 under the BJP government, decided to revert to a state-specific policy to prioritise equity, accessibility, and constitutional values.
Based on the SEP Commission's interim report, the Karnataka government scrapped the NEP's four-year undergraduate degree program and reverted to a three-year degree structure for the 2024-25 academic year.
This change was driven by concerns over infrastructure, faculty shortages, and reduced access to education for disadvantaged groups due to the extended duration.
Meanwhile, Sudhakar also announced that the government had secured approval to borrow Rs 2,600 crore from the Asian Development Bank to strengthen technical education in the state. A team from the bank is expected to visit Karnataka later this month to review the proposal.
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