State Education Policy report submitted to K'taka CM; recommends sex education at pre-university level

Bengaluru, Aug 8 (IANS) Sukhadeo Thorat, the Chairman of the State Education Policy Commission, submitted a 2,197-page report to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday.

The Commission has recommended the introduction of comprehensive sex education among the programmes designed for pre-university students (Classes 11 and 12).

Key recommendations include providing full financial support to all students from the Muslim community in higher education and taking measures to increase enrolment of Muslim female students in rural areas.

The Commission also proposed scholarships for all students from low-income groups based on merit and recommended ending the dependency on NCERT textbooks in primary education.

The report is compiled in three volumes: Volumes 1A and 1B, each comprising 580 pages, pertain to school education.

Volumes 2A and 2B, each containing 455 pages, focus on higher education, while the third volume, related to professional courses, contains 450 pages.

An official statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said, "The recommendations of the Commission are based on a comprehensive understanding of the current realities. For the first time, Karnataka's school and higher education systems have undergone verification using all official data and consultations with various stakeholders."

"The recommendations are drawn from extensive empirical data, information, and the experiences of those who have contributed to the development of the education sector at the national and state levels for decades," the CMO added.

The report makes 26 recommendations for school education, including the adoption of a 2+8+4 structure: two years of pre-primary, eight years of primary, and four years of higher middle education.

It also recommends making Kannada compulsory up to Class 5 across all boards and implementing a two-language policy comprising Kannada/mother tongue and English.

Other school-level recommendations include reducing reliance on NCERT textbooks by localising curricula and increasing the share of education spending to 30 per cent of total state expenditure.

For higher education, the Commission has made 51 recommendations.

These include continuing the admission policy that existed prior to the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020; introducing integrated five-year graduation-postgraduation programmes; enforcing reservation policies in private, unaided institutions; and introducing comprehensive sex education in pre-university programmes.

The Commission also proposed the establishment of a permanent regulatory authority to oversee fee structures in private institutions.

It reiterated the need for full financial support for Muslim students and called for measures to boost the enrolment of rural Muslim female students.

Additionally, it recommended merit-based scholarships for students from low-income groups who gain admission to private institutions.

The report includes 20 recommendations specifically related to professional courses.

--IANS

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