Karnataka Academics Draft People’s Education Policy 2025 as NEP

A group of educationists and university scholars from across India have drafted a new ‘People’s Education Policy (PEP) 2025’, positioning it as a people-centric alternative to the National Education Policy (NEP). The initiative, led by the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC), aims to address what it describes as key shortcomings in the NEP and push for an inclusive and equitable education framework.

AISEC Calls for an Alternative Framework

The AISEC, consisting of professors, researchers, and former vice-chancellors, has been vocal about its criticism of the NEP since its introduction. According to Rajashekar V.N., a member of the committee, the draft of PEP 2025 remains open for public consultation and will soon be presented before the Union and state governments. “We have pointed out many drawbacks in NEP from the beginning. The People’s Education Policy 2025 is a collaborative draft and welcomes suggestions from educators and stakeholders. We will submit it formally in January for consideration,” said Rajashekar. The committee stated that the PEP 2025 aims to strengthen teacher recruitment, reduce administrative workload on teaching staff, and bring back annual examinations to ensure accountability and continuous evaluation.

Key Provisions in PEP 2025

The proposed People’s Education Policy 2025 focuses on improving access and quality in public education.

It recommends:

• Appointment of adequate qualified teachers across all levels.
• Prevention of assigning non-academic duties to teachers.
• Removal of the no-detention policy to maintain learning standards.
• Reintroduction of year-end examinations for better student evaluation.
• Implementation of a two-language formula to strengthen regional learning.

The draft reflects the committee’s stance that education reform must prioritise learning outcomes, teacher welfare, and equal access — rather than focusing solely on structural overhauls.

Concerns Over NEP and SEP Delay

Several educationists have expressed concern over the Karnataka State Government’s delay in releasing the State Education Policy (SEP) report and its decision not to reject the NEP. Kathyayini Chamaraj, an educationist and executive trustee of CIVIC Bengaluru, questioned the government’s inaction. “The SEP report was submitted to the Chief Minister two months ago, yet it hasn’t been made public. We also submitted a memorandum suggesting key reforms after consulting teachers and anganwadi workers involved in elementary education,” she said. Chamaraj added that the NEP lacks clear reference to free and compulsory education, a principle enshrined in Article 21A of the Constitution. “The policy mentions it only once, without defining how it will be implemented. If the right to education ends at 14, how will the system ensure that children continue their schooling until 18?” she asked.

Falling Enrolment Raises Alarms

Recent data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Plus highlights a worrying decline in school enrolment. The total number of students dropped from 26.36 crore in 2018–22 to 25.17 crore in 2022–23, and further to 24.8 crore in 2023–24, with a steep fall to 1.55 crore in 2024–25 as per preliminary figures. Experts believe this trend indicates growing inequality in access to education and inadequate state-level measures to retain students, especially from marginalised communities.