BJP seeks inclusion of Christian community in draft NEP

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 18, 2019

SHILLONG: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Meghalaya state has sought the Centre intervention into the need to include the word Christian community in the Draft National Education Policy. 

In a memorandum submitted to the Union Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pohkhriyal on Thursday, BJP state president Shibun Lyngdoh said Chapter 6 of the new policy deals with the equitable and inclusive education and also spells out the rights and privilege of the religious minority groups such as Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhist and Jains. 

However, Christian community was perhaps unintentionally found no mention among other religious minority groups, he said. 

“We therefore, felt that the presence of 2,40,80,016 Christians  which constituted 2.3 per cent of the Indian population, as per the 2011 census should not be neglected,” Lyngdoh asserted. 

Seeking the union minister intervention into the matter, the Lyngdoh said, “The party state unit suggests that in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding among the people of India, a mention of Christians or Christian community should also be made in the relevant paragraphs of Chapter 6 of the draft NEP wherever it is found appropriate and justified.” 

Meanwhile, the state president also expressed confidence that the new policy, if implemented will improve the educational landscape of the country.