Karnataka's new state Education policy, based on secular fabric, will be emulated by other states: Higher Education Minister

Bengaluru : Karnataka's new State Education Policy will be based on a secular fabric and will be emulated by the other states, Higher Education Minister Dr. M.C. Sudhakar said on Monday.

Talking to reporters at the ‘Asian Summit on Education and Skills (ASES) organised by the India Didactics Association here, he stated that the task of forming a new policy on education is entrusted to former University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman, Prof. Sukhdeo Thorat.

The committee comprises five members and also has an eight-member advisory board. It can also consult resource persons and universities. The government had sought submission of the new policy on education by February 28, 2024.

The policy, which would stress on inclusion of sentiments of all religions, castes, and secular values, would mainly focus on the creation of jobs.Sudhakar's statement assumes importance as the Congress government is all set to scarp the ambitious National Education Policy (NEP) in Karnataka from next academic year.

He also said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) would be introduced to students after planning and expert opinion. Sudhakar claimed that in 2014, the Central government diluted the Right to Education Act with the new rule stating that admission to private schools of poor students through the RTE would only be in the absence of a government school in the particular ward or urban local body.

The state government is increasing the number of public schools which provide quality education in English medium, he maintained. The summit was organised by the IDA in collaboration with the Education World Forum, London.

Association CEO Aditya Gupta said that ministers and bureaucrats from different countries including Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Brunei, Finland, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Nauru, Oman, Papa New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Turkiye, and the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana were present at the Summit.

The opening session included a panel discussion “Designing then building stronger bolder and better education” with Sudhakar and Medical Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship Minister Dr S.R. Patil.

Bangladesh Education Minister Dr. Dipu Moni and Turkiye's Director General, Innovation and Educational Technologies, Dr. Mustafa Canli, were also the panellists and the discussion was moderated by , Forum Director, ASES and Education World Forum Dominic Savage, Gupta said.

Concrete and effective solutions that have demonstrated success, along with the initiation of innovative projects in Bangladesh, Turkiye, and Karnataka were discussed in the session. Panellists unanimously acknowledged the pivotal role of technology, underscoring the need for a concerted focus on enhancing teacher training, expediting policy implementation and advancing curriculum development to foster greater employability.

The significance of forging Public-Private Partnerships in the implementation of education policies was highlighted by all panellists. In addition to ASES, IDA will be organising DIDAC India 2023, the 13th Edition of Asia’s largest and India’s only Exhibition and Conference for Education and Skilling Resources from Oct 17 (Tuesday) to the Oct 19 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC). This prestigious 3-day B2B annual event will be hosted and partnered by the state Department of Education, and supported by National and International Ministries.