NEP 2020: Why Tamil Nadu insists 4-year undergrad course is a bad idea

Educationists in the state have many other issues too with the NEP.

A major point of contention is the four-year graduation course in higher education under the new Union government education scheme. The NEP 2020 recommended a four-year programme to improve research opportunities and make students more future-ready.

Certain states such as Maharashtra and Delhi have already implemented this four-year degree course while some like Karnataka have gone back to a three-year degree course.

Under the NEP guidelines, students have 'exit options' before the four-year undergrad course ends. There is the awarding of an UG certificate after completing one year (two semesters) and a UG diploma after two years (four semesters) in the chosen fields of study. Tamil Nadu educationists and political leaders say this may lead to increased dropouts — that college students may be tempted to discontinue once they land a certificate or diploma, rather than complete the course for a degree.

Aping of the West?

According to D Narsimhan, a retired professor from Chennai's Madras Christian College (MCC), NEP tries to match the Western system by introducing a four-year graduation course.

“We are trying to ape the Western system without reason. Do we have the infrastructure and teachers for this kind of system? Moreover, this is geared for children going abroad. It seems impractical to shift to this new system since an entire thinking geared to a three-year system for decades will have to change. To also keep a student for an additional one more year will hit them financially and also lead to student fatigue," he told The Federal.

PB Prince Gajendra Babu, general secretary, State Platform for Common School System-Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN), agrees it is not a good idea. "The four-year degree course sets aside one year for apprenticeship. What apprenticeship can a history student do? They have not thought this through properly at all and are just trying to impose it on us," Babu told The Federal.

Few takers

Educational institutions in Maharashtra, for instance, are facing challenges after implementing the four-year degree course.

There are fewer takers for humanities and social sciences under this new scheme, and students struggle to get into a heavily specialised course after Class 12 without any bridge courses, while educators have to cope with the extra load and its multidisciplinary approach, which require capacity building.

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A Pune-based senior professor said: "From a student's point of view, this four-year degree course is a boon to skill up for employability and research. On the flip side, the challenge is to get the students to catch up with this extremely intensive course, which means they have to be extremely motivated. After COVID, that is a big problem for the students."

On the other hand, newbie educators need more capacity-building and hand-holding, she added.

PM-SHRI scheme

Yet another issue rocking Tamil Nadu now is the PM-SHRI, or the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India, a centrally sponsored scheme that is part of the NEP.

Under this scheme, to improve the quality of school education, the Central government will pick a few hundred schools across the state to implement the NEP. These schools will end up being a role model to showcase the NEP model of education.

But educationists feel that it would only end up creating “exclusive” schools. “It will not only create a divide but will help the central government push its agenda in these select schools,” observed a Chennai-based educationist, who's involved in the education policy in the state but preferred to remain anonymous.

Discriminatory practice?

Prince Gajendra Babu told The Federal that such "schools of excellence" violate the spirit of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. “Why should the state accept a policy that encourages discrimination and violates the Constitution?” he argued.

Incidentally, the current feud that broke out between the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government is over the release of Rs 2,500 crore in funds for another centrally sponsored scheme, run along with the state, called the Samagra Shiksha scheme.

Educationists ask that if the Centre is not providing its share of the funds for this scheme, why are they contemplating starting another set of schools to be run by it in states?

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Creating compartments

A senior educationist in the Tamil Nadu government, meanwhile, said the state is against NEP because it divides education into different stages starting with stage one for children from ages three to eight. The NEP divides school education into four stages: foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary.

"We are against this compartmentalisation of education in different stages since we look at education from class 1 to 10 as free and compulsory for all. Each stage requires students to clear a common entrance exam, which encourages drop-outs," said the educationist. Furthermore, he said, the NEP does not encourage holistic education at all.

Also read: SSA, NEP, PM-SHRI: Here’s what sparked TN row over education funds

Three-language formula

According to experts, Tamil Nadu's two-language policy piloted by former Chief Minister CN Annadurai was implemented decades ago after a historic agitation against the imposition of Hindi. Though NEP said that no language will be imposed on any state, it has not cut any ice with parties in Tamil Nadu.

They fear it will eventually pave the way for Hindi to enter the state through the back door. Since 1985, the state has refused to allow Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas to be set up as they teach Hindi.

There is a counter-argument that Tamil Nadu is depriving students of an opportunity to learn Hindi as a national link language. However, educationists point out that the language is taught in many CBSE schools which have opened in the state over the past decade.

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Hindi imposition fears

The three-language formula in NEP states that students should learn a first language, which can be their mother tongue or regional language; a second language, Hindi in Hindi-speaking states, or English or another modern Indian language in non-Hindi-speaking states; and a third language, which can be English or another modern Indian language in both Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi-speaking states.

“For the sake of the media and political debate, the Centre claims it is not pushing Hindi, but if you want students to study a third language, it will have to be Hindi. It will be practically impossible for schools to cater to any other regional language since it will become too expensive for them,” said the Chennai-based educationist quoted above.

In Tamil Nadu, Tamil and English cannot be avoided but it will not be feasible to provide another regional language for a school, he stressed.