A busy 2016 for HRD ministry
From new education policy to the Rohith Vemula suicide incident to key changes in No Detention Policy and a much-talked about change of guard at the helm, HRD ministry remained in news in 2016. A mid-year reshuffle saw Smriti Irani handing over charge of the ministry to Prakash Javadekar to become Minister of Textiles.
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Barely had the year begun, when the biggest of the several huge controversies that hit the HRD ministry – over the suicide of scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad University occurred. And as the year ended, the ministry readied a series of 12 steps for universities to follow, to ensure such incidents don’t happen again.
After Vemula’s suicide, Opposition parties gunned for the removal of Irani. Vemula’s family said he was a Dalit and the incident gave the Opposition ammunition to attack the Centre in Parliament. The ministry on its part appointed a judicial commission under retired judge A K Roopanwal, who in his report gave a clean chit to the various functionaries including Irani, while recommending a series of preventive steps.
The report also had its share of controversy as it said that Vemula’s Dalit status could not be established. Another premier institution, Jawaharlal Nehru University, also saw much turmoil after a controversial protest by a group of students. NIT Srinagar too had remain shut for several days after a clash between local and outstation students over a cricket match.
Many of the controversies were a result of campus-related issues, but Irani’s combativeness on the social media too turned into headlines. In one instance she took offence to Bihar Education Minister Ashok Chaudhary addressing her as “dear” while in another she fought with Congress leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, who had put a post about her security.
In another much-talked about social media post, which she signed off as “Aunty National” – an apparent reference to a newspaper’s headline about her, Irani talked about her career and challenges, stressed on the need to speak out one’s mind and hit out at “intellectuals” who called her “illiterate”. Irani also rebuffed former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian, when he sought that a report on New Education Policy (NEP) prepared by a panel which he headed be made public.
Irani refused to put the report in public domain immediately saying it will not become the “legacy of one individual who seeks a headline”. Soon after taking over, Javadekar said he believes in having a dialogue on various issues so there will be no necessity of agitation.
When asked about his priorities in the new year, he told PTI that it would be “quality, quality and quality of education.” During 2016, several important decisions were also taken. The CBSE governing body sought compulsory class X Board exam, the go ahead to which may come from the ministry this year.
A new committee which would work on the NEP could also be announced anytime soon. The ministry is also planning to hold a NEET-like single examination for engineering. It has also decided to amend the RTE Act to allow ‘No Detention Policy’ to be retained till class V while the IIM Bill is also underway, both legislations which will come up in the new year.
2016 was also a year where the HRD Ministry worked on creating a Higher Education Funding Agency besides creating 20 world class institutions in the country. The ministry also brought the first ever National Institutional Ranking Framework.Two Vice Chancellors were also removed during the year.