No tinkering with constitutional provisions in education: Government

New Delhi, Aug 12 Amid a row over the draft education policy, the government today asserted that it is not tinkering with the constitutional provision regarding reservation and minority insitutions.

After Opposition in Rajya Sabha yesterday slammed the draft as one lifted out of RSS documents, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar today said only inputs or comments have been sought on a draft for which the deadline too has been extended till September 15.

While the debate on the draft education policy had remained inconclusive yesterday, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the short-duration discussion was not over and it would be completed whenever time permits, including in the next session.

Today is the last day of the monsoon session and the matter was listed for further discussion in the agenda. As members protested and demanded that the debate be concluded, Javadekar sought to allay fears through a brief statement.

"We are not tinkering with any provision of Constitution with regard to reservation or minority education institutions," he said.

The government, he said, wanted suggestions on the draft policy from everyone and has extended the time-limit by one month to September 15.

"We are not tinkering with Constitutional provision with regard to minority institutions or reservation," he said.

"We believe in democracy... we believe education must be imparted with the objective of raising standard of lives." Opposition benches however wanted the debate to be completed today and the minister to give a detailed reply.

Kanimozhi (DMK) vehemently protested on the issue but Kurien said Zero Hour submissions would be taken up and whenever time permits the discussion would resume, including in the Winter Session.

Yesterday, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) had said the draft policy was a lift from an RSS document presented in Amarkantak and in the name of Vedic education, the study of history is being converted into the study of Hindu mythology, the study of Indian philosophy into a study of Hindu theology.

Former HRD minister Kapil Sibal (Cong) had stated that no education system in the world has ever survived the infusion of ideology.

PTI