Parliamentary Panel to Discuss Marriage Age and Education Policies Next Week

A Parliamentary Standing Committee is set to address the age of marriage for men and women next week. This discussion comes as a previous bill aiming to standardize the marriage age has expired with the end of the 17th Lok Sabha. Officials from the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), along with members of the National Coalition Advocating for Adolescent Concerns and the Young Voices Campaign, are scheduled to present their views to the committee during a meeting on November 22.

The meeting agenda includes an overview of proposed changes in marriage laws and other legislation concerning women's issues. The panel, led by Congress Member of Parliament Digvijaya Singh, will also review the role of various government bodies, such as the National Commission for Women, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Central Adoption Resource Authority, and the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development.

The previously introduced Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which sought to raise the minimum marriage age for women to 21 years, had been under consideration by this committee. Although the Bill received multiple extensions, it ultimately lapsed when the 17th Lok Sabha concluded. The proposed amendment aimed to modify the 2006 Prohibition of Child Marriage Act to increase the window for marriage annulment from two years to five years after reaching adulthood, extending the eligible age to 23.

In addition to the marriage-related discussion, the committee is set to meet on November 21 to review the New Education Policy (NEP). The session will include presentations by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, and representatives from teacher associations and civil society organizations. These discussions will focus on the impact of the NEP on the school system.

The committee will also receive updates on several educational programs like the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and evaluate the work of key bodies such as NCERT, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS). The National Education Policy of 2020, which replaced the 1986 education policy, promotes the use of mother tongue as the medium of instruction up to Grade 5, with recommendations to continue it until Grade 8 or beyond.

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