Hypocrisy or pragmatism? M. A. Baby on why CPM opposes NEP 2020 nationally but implements many aspects of it in Kerala

What is the CPM’s stand on the education policies of the Modi government? 

Education is not only to teach students to have some common knowledge about various subjects and for equipping them to be successful in the job market. Proper education means something more. A scientific education should make good human beings out of students. That has to be the first and foremost goal of good education. So as to nurture and develop good human beings through education, they should be given knowledge which should develop into wisdom. After education, through their employment, they should find means of sustenance and also be beneficial to the society. Education and employment, both should be socially relevant.

The framers of our Constitution were very clear that in a country like India, varied languages and cultures of the different regions of this huge country make us diverse and that it is that diversity which serves as the bedrock of our unity. They had no doubt about preserving and promoting those diversities, so as to make our unity even stronger.

To achieve this the framers of Indian constitution decided to include education in the State List. We also developed the University Grants Commission to coordinate university-level education of different States because, students having studied a particular course at a particular State would migrate to other states in search of higher education or in search of jobs. So certain common standards need to be maintained in the different universities in different States. So this was the overall concept behind the development of Independent India’s education system. 

But with Narendra Modi’s government, all these lofty ideals about education were relegated to the background. Three words beginning with C would be easier to summarise the education policy of the Modi government; centralisation, commercialisation and communalisation. Centralisation, that is negating the importance of States and the role of states in education. Commercialisation, that is reducing education into a commodity for the generation of profit. Those who invest capital in the field of education should earn profits. I do not think there is any need to explain much about the third C, communalisation. 

The so called National Education Policy (NEP) is a tool to achieve the three Cs. The attitude of the CPM towards the NEP has been pronounced a number of times. The Modi government is following a highly pernicious education policy and with which the CPI(M) cannot reconcile. We have opposed their education policy right from 2014. 

Given the CPM’s vocal opposition to the NEP 2020, citing concerns over privatization and centralization, how do you reconcile the party’s national stance with its recent decision to introduce the Private Universities Bill in Kerala, which appears to embody the very same privatization principles the party critiques at the national level? Doesn’t this dichotomy suggest a disconnect between the party’s ideological commitments and its pragmatic considerations in governance?

CPM is still in opposition to the NEP 2020 and privatization and centralization in education. But Kerala government will have to work within the limited self-autonomy granted to States in the Indian federation. Kerala needs to expand its higher education to achieve its goal of transition to a knowledge economy. The national framework for higher education has changed drastically under the Central government and as per UGC guidelines. Permission from the State government is no more necessary to start branches of private universities within the State, for instance. Minority institutions can choose to be autonomous . A State government has to take cognizance of this changed scenario while framing its policies. What Kerala Govt has done is to assert social control over the inevitable emergence of private universities within the State through social consensus.

The CPM advocates for a student-centered education system. Then how do you reconcile the party’s recent decision to support private universities in Kerala with its professed concerns about privatization exacerbating inequality, undermining democratic education, and prioritizing profit over accessibility? Doesn’t this move risk perpetuating an ‘education for the rich and privileged’ system, contrary to the party’s stated ideals?

The new law will not be exacerbating inequality in education. The government or the aided sector is not going to withdraw from higher education. They will be expanded. As we shall describe later we are aspiring to be ahead of the private-self financing sector regarding quality of education. Within the private self financing sector we are asserting the principle of caste reservation and certain social control.

As the CPM embraces neoliberal policies and privatization in education, doesn’t this fundamentally undermine its claim to be a distinct, alternative political force? How can the party credibly position itself as a champion of the marginalized and oppressed when its actions seem to align with the very policies it once critiqued, and which narrows the difference between the Left and the Right?  

CPM does not embrace neoliberal policies and privatization of education. Kerala is the only State in India that is pursuing an alternative development part within the limits of our federal system. We have no choice other than to engage with the neoliberal world. The first distinction of Kerala’s alternative is the focus on equity and social justice. Kerala has steadily expanded the welfare scheme and has set the target to eliminate absolute poverty and provide homes and basic community to every household and near universal pension of ₹1,600 to the aged. It also protected land reforms and has enhanced the highest wages with minimum wages for every sector. It is strengthening universal education and primary health care.

Having passed the Private Universities Bill, will the government take decisive action against private universities that flout social regulations?  

Having passed the law we will act as per law. We will continue to strengthen our public education.

Given the Higher Education Financing Agency’s (HEFA) model of providing loans to universities at market rates, which are then repaid through student fees, doesn’t this policy effectively shift the burden of funding higher education from the State to students, thereby exacerbating existing inequalities and undermining the principle of affordable education? How does the CPM perceive the policy? 

No, we are not withdrawing from the funding of higher education. The allocation from the budget for higher education has drastically increased from 2021 . Besides, KIIFB has already invested around ₹7,000 cr to reconstruct all the school buildings, digitalize all the classrooms, and boost university and college infrastructure. Free Internet is being provided to all poor households. College classrooms, both in government and aided colleges, has been digitalized. Kerala is just going to announce achievement of total digital literacy among all adults. We are taking care to ensure that there is no digital divide and the inclusive nature of Kerala’s educational system is preserved.

There is an alarming trend of Kerala’s youth seeking education and residency abroad, resulting in vacant seats and financial crises in self-financing colleges. What concrete measures would the CPM take to revitalize the State’s higher education sector, stem the brain drain, and make Kerala an attractive destination for students and intellectual capital?

You are right. The youth is deserting the higher education sector in Kerala, not only self financing colleges, but also government and aided colleges to study abroad in large numbers. To reverse this drain Kerala has to (1) improve the quality of higher education, (2) link education to skilling and improve employability and (3) generate quality jobs within Kerala. That’s what we are attempting to do. The new policies that we have started to implement is going to make Kerala an attractive destination for students and intellectual capital. This trend is already visible in the rising rank of Kerala Universities and institutions in different national education ranking systems.  

The CPM has opposed many aspects of the education policies of the Central government for ideological reasons. It says an attempt is being made to inculcate Hindutva ideology among students. What alternative narratives and pedagogical approaches will the CPM employ?

We shall ensure greater academic freedom in Kerala and promote institutions of excellence in higher education that shall attract national talent. We are offering more than 100 posts of fellowships of ₹1 lakh every year. This includes humanities as well so we can encourage counter narrative in Humanities and Natural Sciences. We shall resist Hindutva philosophy and promote scientific temper. Importantly we shall mobilize the teachers and students as well as people to resist onslaughts on secular, democratic and scientific education. 

What is the CPM’s stance on the BJP government’s push for a three-language policy, particularly in light of opposition from States like Tamil Nadu?

CPM is of the opinion that all the twenty two languages included in the eighth schedule of the constitution are to be given equal consideration and importance as national languages. The eighth schedule provides official recognition and State support for the languages included in the schedule and there are programmes for the development of these languages in government administration and in education. 

Three language formula as such is not being followed in Kerala. In Kerala there is opportunity to learn Malayalam as the medium of instruction, for some students English also is permitted as medium of instruction. Where two divisions are there for Malayalam medium, one English medium class is being permitted. Some approaches are there for the encouragement of Malayalam as a medium of instruction. There is provision to learn other languages such as Hindi, Arabic and so on. So in our country there should be provisions for studying various languages, not only Indian languages. At college level there is provision for learning French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian in different universities. But so far as medium of instruction is considered our position is that it should be the mother tongue.

It is true that the Union government is pushing Hindi on a big scale and that’s why in States like Tamil Nadu there is widespread opposition to Hindi imposition. If there are any moves to impose a compulsory language at the school level – which is not ordinarily spoken at the respective States – that would create a lot of problems. So far as Kerala is concerned there are no problems related to the medium of instruction or the languages that the students are being permitted to learn.

Given the CPM’s stringent criticism of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, how does the party view the PM SHRI schools scheme, which aims to implement NEP’s components and establish over 14,500 schools across India as model institutions. Is Kerala implementing PM Shri schools scheme?

As part of the NEP, the Union government is implementing certain projects in the name of PM SHRI. Nearly fifteen thousand schools across India in different States are being identified to implement the PM SHRI school scheme. Most of the programmes which are sought to be implemented as part of it are already being implemented in Kerala with initiatives like two computer education, computer enabled education and smart classrooms. Other Indian states are now trying to copy various quality improvement programmes at the school level, which are already being implemented in the state of Kerala. The difficulty for Kerala is that the budgetary share that Kerala deserves from the Union government in the field of school education or college education is not being provided because Kerala has already made remarkable achievements in these areas. 

Now there are certain compulsions that the Union government is trying to impose on the States as part of this PM SHRI scheme. To the best of my knowledge, the Kerala government is discussing and negotiating with the Union government. Funds that ought to come as part of the implementation of the program should not be missed. But in the state of Kerala, they may be considering how they can implement the PM SHRI programme in such a way that it is suitable to the State in all respects. I do not know the details regarding that. Since Kerala is not a sovereign country and since Kerala is part of the Union of India, they will also have to implement centrally sponsored schemes. They will probably be trying to implement them with certain modifications that suit their needs, based on the ground realities there. The same approach would be applied to the PM SHRI scheme too.

Will the new 4+1 framework under the FYUG program, with its emphasis on skill enhancement and value promotion courses, lead to a dilution of core academic disciplines and potentially facilitate ideological indoctrination, or will it successfully equip students with the skills and values necessary for a rapidly changing job market?

As part of the NEP they have the Four Year Undergraduate Programme. But, in Kerala the FYUP is being implemented in a different manner on the basis of the recommendations of the Shyam Menon committee, which is a high-level academic committee. The committee has given recommendations for the improvement of the entire higher education sector in the State of Kerala. 

At the national level ideological indoctrination is happening as part of this project, which is in tune with the outlook of the RSS-led BJP government. They are implementing their educational projects in tune with their cultural nationalist understanding. They want to smuggle in certain political ideological approaches which are unacceptable to the secular democratic sections of Indian society. In Kerala, the curriculum, the syllabus, the teaching and learning methods are all framed on the basis of the secular democratic republican constitutional values. That certainly needs to be appreciated and taken up as a model by other states and even the country.