Education should be placed in State List, says Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said the Union government is not promoting scientific temperament among students and instead introducing ‘regressive ideas’ in the syllabus.
Stalin made the remark through a virtual address at the opening of the Association of Indian Universities- South Zone Vice Chancellors’ Meet at the Bharathiar University in Coimbatore on Friday (March 11).
Stalin told Vice-Chancellors that they play “an important role in shaping the functioning and quality of universities”. “You should discharge your duties in such a way that you promote a scientific temperament among students. The Centre making use of education coming under the Concurrent List and using its powers to introduce regressive ideas in the syllabus is worrisome,” Stalin said.
He suggested that the problem can be addressed by placing education in the State List in the Constitution. Stalin also said that universities must operate following State’s education policy and Vice Chancellors must ensure universities do so.
Stalin said that Vice Chancellors should think beyond producing graduates and post graduates and prepare the youth for the future.
Also read: Governors’ role as VC faces challenge as states call out ‘central interference’
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi attended the same function in person. Speaking at the function, Ravi said that people who speak of federalism should understand India better and not look at it through the western prism. “India that was Bharat, was like body parts, each different in shape and functioning, but part of the body and which couldn’t function outside the body,” he said.
“The perception of looking at the country through the colonial prism, even after Independence, had not helped eradicate poverty but instead, promoted regional imbalances. Even within States there were less developed regions. Universities, as place for knowledge dissemination should ensure that they help in dissemination of such knowledge that was useful for society,” he said.
