NDA's edu policy: Dinanath Batra bats for autonomy, IES

RSS ideologue Dinanath Batra today suggested that the new National Education Policy mulled by the NDA government should stress on "autonomy of education" on the lines of Election Commission and Supreme Court and also introduce an "Indian Education Service".
These are among 20-odd key recommendations given to the BJP government by Batra, founder of Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas.
The HRD Ministry headed by Smriti Irani is expected to unveil its new education policy in December this year.
"The first and important recommendation that I have forwarded to the HRD Minister is that education should be autonomous. There should be autonomy of education on the pattern of Election Commission and the Supreme Court.

"There should be no politics in the field of education but there should be education in politics. The politicians should not interfere in education," Batra told reporters at Ernakulam Press Club here.
Batra, a former RSS pracharak and responsible for the pulping of American scholar Wendy Doniger's book 'The Hindus: An Alternative History' last year, is present in the city to attend a three-day national workshop on 'Educational Reforms and Achievements', being organised by his outfit at nearby Aluva.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will address the conference tomorrow, in which Sangh-affiliated leaders are brainstorming on what direction the Modi government's education policy should take.

Batra's second recommendation was the formation of Indian Education Service (IES), as the leader stated that civil service officials at the helm of education departments in the country are transferred to other departments and they are not "really wedded to the education system."
"One day he is in-charge of education and the other day he goes to economics and again after four months, in another department. So those who are really wedded to education should pass this examination," he said.
Quoting UNESCO, Batra, said education of each and every country should be rooted to its culture and manpower-- youth in universities should think that they are part of culture of this country.

Batra, whose books have been prescribed as compulsory reading in schools in BJP-ruled Gujarat, suggested that six per cent of GDP be spent on education and students should do social service by visiting rural and slum areas under an 'Indian Education Social Service'.
The RSS leader also opined that universities should adopt at least 11 villages and slum areas through a development plan.
"There should be no illiterate person in such areas and proper health care should be given to them," he said.