Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Monday played down the controversy over renaming Teachers’ Day as ‘Guru Utsav’.
“There is unnecessary controversy on this matter. Gurutsav 2014 is just an essay competition, in all languages including Tamil, in which about 1.30 lakh students have participated,” she said.
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s planned interaction with students across the country on that day, she said: “It is an effort to facilitate conversation between PM, teachers and students.” Dismissing any pressure on schools to ensure participation during the Prime Minister’s address, she said that listening to him that day is voluntary. “If the Prime Minister of a free India does not have the freedom to interact with students, then it is ridiculous,” she added.
Regarding the country’s education policy, Irani, who was speaking to reporters at the BJP headquarters here, said IITs and IIMs will help in the development of curriculum
Education policy The Government’s overall endeavour is to work for a national education policy, which hasn’t been revised post 1986, she said.
“IITs were asked to define certain goalposts which would be the foundation for devising school curriculum. In 20 days, they have identified 10 goalposts which we have shared with IIMs as well. These will be the foundation for the future curriculum,” she added.