Describing the new National Education Policy (NEP) as "backward-looking", senior Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the policy document should be based on the principles of the Constitution and not on the ancient cultural values.
Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha during the Zero Hour, Kharge said the NEP is looking 2,000 years back instead of planning and preparing children for the future.
"The value or moral education in schools and higher education should be based on the principles of the Constitution and not on the ancient cultural values," he said.
Emphasising that children in cities who have access to quality nursery education already learn to read and write by the time they join Class 1, he said poor children in towns and villages would start at a disadvantage as there is no proper policy defined to train the Anganwadi teachers.
"Nearly 50 per cent of the students drop out after class 10. There is no plan that has been suggested to reduce this dropout."
It is estimated that 32.4 % of these dropout students are Dalits, 25.7% are from minorities and 16.4% are tribals. Teachers are already burdened with several duties.
By 2035, he said, India will lose the advantage of its young population and it is time to look at the future within a short time period of 15 years.
"Priority should be on Maths, Science and English if we have to provide an opportunity of development to children of rural and backward areas," he said.
Children belonging to weaker sections and rural areas are already facing a disadvantage in NEET and JEE examinations.
"Indian culture will be learnt by students through their language and literature classes. Such kind of activism to promote a single culture of Sanskrit or Hindi by the Government will only keep backward children out of modern education," he said.