Education policy will focus on equity: Javadekar

Hyderabad: Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday the new education policy would focus on accountability and research and innovation in addition to quantity, quality and equity. He, however, said there would not be any tinkering with constitutional provisions.

• The Human Resource Development Minister denies that the new education policy is the one lifted from RSS document
• Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari, who holds Education portfolio, urges HRD Minister to extend midday meal programme to students up to 10th class

In an interaction with students of Government High School at Musheerabad here, Javadekar said, "The new education policy will be raised on the foundations of quantity, quality, equity, accountability and research and innovation." "Some people are raising apprehensions beforehand that there will be changes in the Constitution (with new education policy). There will be nothing of that sort," Javadekar said.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition had on Thursday slammed the draft policy as one lifted out of RSS documents. Stressing that the new policy would focus on quality education for all, the Minister said inputs and comments had been invited on its draft for which the deadline was extended till September 15.

Meanwhile, during a chat session with students, Javadekar recalled that his family was so poor in his early days that they could not afford to buy newspapers, and he used to visit neighbourhood houses to read them. When he was a 10-year-old, he used to tag along with his mother, a primary teacher, and teach illiterate men, while she took classes for the women folk.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari requested the Centre to extend midday meal scheme now implemented up to eighth standard up to tenth standard in government schools. Srihari, who also holds the education portfolio, also made a pitch for extending Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas scheme at present providing education to girls up to eighth standard, particularly from weaker sections, up to 10th standard.

He urged the NDA government to start exclusive residential schools for girls, so that every girl -child in the country would get quality education, as a follow-up to its "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" initiative. Srihari announced that the school would be upgraded to junior college from the next academic year, as per the desire expressed by many students, and Musheerabad MLA and Telangana BJP chief K Laxman.