The Government of India has constituted a ‘Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy’. The Committee consists of Shri T.S.R. Subramanian, Former Cabinet Secretary as the Chairman and Smt. Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary, NCT of Delhi, Shri Sevaram Sharma, former Home Secretary, NCT of Delhi, Shri Sudhir Mankad, former Chief Secretary, Gujarat & Prof. J.S. Rajput, former Director, NCERT as members. The Committee has to examine the outcome documents, recommendations and suggestions received and formulate a draft National Education Policy as well as a Framework for Action (FFA) by the end of this month.

An unprecedented collaborative, multi-stakeholder and multi-pronged consultation process for formulating the New Education Policy (NEP) has been undertaken by the Government of India. The three-pronged consultation process included online, grassroots and national level thematic deliberations.

The online consultation process was undertaken on www.MyGov.in portal from 26th January, 2015 to 31st October, 2015 and 29,109 suggestions have been received on the 33 identified themes.

An extensive, time-bound, participative, bottom-up consultative process across Gram Panchayats, Blocks, Urban Local Bodies, districts and all States/Union Territories was carried out between May to October, 2015. As on 22.02.2016, 1,10,534 villages, 3250 Blocks, 725 ULBs, 339 districts and 18 States in respect of School Education and, in respect of Higher Education, 2724 Blocks, 940 ULBs, 406 districts and 18 States have uploaded their suggestions on https://survey.mygov.in.

A number of in-person consultations have been held by the Government with stakeholder Ministries in the Government of India (GoI) and also with the State Governments on NEP. A High Level meeting was taken by Minister for Human Resource Development on 14.02.2015 to discuss the consultative process for formulation of New Education Policy and invite suggestions of other Ministries and Departments. In all, 15 Government of India Ministries have sent their suggestions to Ministry of HRD.

Ministry of HRD held thematic consultations through Apex level institutions and regulators, such as, UGC, AICTE, NCTE, AIU, NCERT, CBSE, IIAS, NLMA, NAAC, NUEPA, IGNOU and Central Universities by inviting all relevant stakeholders including experts, academics, industry representatives, civil society etc. during July-October, 2015. It may be mentioned that NCERT, CBSE, NCTE & IGNOU held Pan –India consultations. Further, the Ministry held thematic consultations at the national level, in which experts having domain expertise as well stakeholders were invited for deliberations.

Six online talks with leading subject experts, field practitioner engagement through the UN Solutions Exchange platform (70 nos.), online survey by CBSE with over 15000 responses, youth survey and focus group discussions covering 6017 youth by the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Education for Peace and Sustainable Development, UNESCO Category-I Institute in Asia Pacific were conducted as part of the public engagement. In addition, several organizations and individuals have sent in their views, suggestions, inputs through post and emails.

Minister for Human Resource Development wrote to all Hon’ble Members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in July 2015 inviting their suggestions and considered views on the New Education Policy.

A meeting was held by the Minister of Human Resource Development on 21st March, 2015 with Education Ministers, Education Secretaries and other senior officials of the State Governments in which the consultation process, including the process of uploading the recommendations on MyGov.in portal, was explained in detail and suggestions of States on the process as well as the themes were also invited. States were also requested to include additional themes, if felt necessary.

The consultation process was one of the agenda points in the meeting of Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE) held on 19th August 2015. Views of all States and members of CABE were invited on the consultation process and the themes.

Six Zonal Meetings were held by the Minister of Human Resource Development in Eastern, Central, North-Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern Zones covering all States and UTs during September-October 2015 which was attended by Education Ministers and officials of the respective States/UTs. The HRD Minister also held zone-wise interactions with district level officials and public representatives across the country via video conference.

(a) Suggestions on NEP have also been received from nearly 30 Minority Institutions.

(b) All suggestions, including those received from Minority Institutions, have been forwarded to the Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy.

This information was given by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question.

Source Ministry of Human Resource Development 25-February, 2016