3.5 crore seats will be added in higher education institutions by 2035: Union minister
Renowned educationists, academicians, faculty and students discuss the new education policy during Shiksha Samwaad, a national discussion held online.
The Centre will be adding 3.5 crore new seats in the higher education institutions of India by the year 2035, said Union education minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
He was speaking during Shiksha Samwaad, a national discussion on NEP-2020, jointly organised by Education Promotion Society of India (EPSI) and Joint Association of Colleges, Punjab.
Renowned educationists, academicians, faculty and students from all over India engaged in the in-depth analysis of the topic ‘Vision of making India a Global Knowledge Superpower’.
While addressing the participants through the virtual mode, Pokhriyal said, “NEP-2020 aims at improving the gross enrollment rate (GER) in higher education and Centre has set a target of achieving 50% GER by 2035. To accomplish this, 3.5 crore new seats will be added in the higher education institutions of India by 2035.”
“The new policy, which is based on five pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability, is aimed at sustainable development. NEP-2020 has not only been widely accepted and acclaimed in the nation, but has been appreciated by other countries as well. In fact, India has already received requests for the policy framework from three countries so that they can also draft a similar policy for implementation in their respective nations,” the minister added.
Echoing these views, minister of state for education Sanjay Shamarao Dhotre said, “NEP-2020 aims to provide world-class education to students, while instilling moral values and job-oriented skills among the youth. The policy also focuses on teachers’ training which is an important aspect of higher as well as school education.”
Chandigarh University chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu said, “NEP-2020 is one of the biggest reforms in the education sector world over. This policy has carved a new roadmap for the development of education in India.”
Other panellists who joined the national discussion included VIT (Vellore) chancellor and EPSI president G Viswanathan, BIMTECH director and EPSI alternate president H Chaturvedi, MREI president and EPSI treasurer Parshant Bhalla, LPU chancellor Ashok Mittal, Chitkara University pro-chancellor Madhu Chitkara, JAC president Jagjit Singh, JAC co-chairman Anshu Kataria, PUTIA president Gurmeet Dhaliwal, and CGC president Rashpal Singh Dhaliwal.