It was decided that Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, among others, where BJP is not in power, must be urged to oppose the "anti-constitutional" and "anti-poor" policy. (Representational)

Teacher unions in the state, including Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation, Shikshak Bharti and Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Hakka Kriti Samiti among others, have decided to protest against the National Education Policy (NEP) and urge the state government to refrain from implementing it.

Joining hands with other unions in the country, the unions had participated in a two-day national-level conference on NEP that ended on Sunday. It was decided that Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, among others, where BJP is not in power, must be urged to oppose the “anti-constitutional” and “anti-poor” policy.

At the conference, attended by former UGC chairman Sukhdev Thorat, Rashtra Seva Dal president Dr Ganesh Devi and MLC Kapil Patil among others, teachers opposed the concept of school complexes (cluster of 10 to 20 public schools) sharing resources such as library, laboratory and teachers.

Subhash More, working president of Shikshak Bharati, told The Indian Express, “How is it possible to take children to some other place whenever they need a library or laboratory? Under the Right to Education Act, it has been mandated that each school must have these facilities. The inclusion of social workers in the teaching sphere and emphasis on peer learning is sure to leave many qualified teachers unemployed. Moreover, by keeping education non-binding, the number of dropouts will increase.”