Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said that no Indian language is less than the other, and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises on learning all Indian languages equally.
Pradhan attended the convocation of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Meghalaya as the Chief Guest and conferred degrees to the students who had graduated in 2020 and 2021 at the ceremony held in the Shillong campus.
“No Indian language is less than the other languages used in the country. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses on universalisation of early childhood care and education and also emphasises on learning in all Indian languages. Under the new policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mandated that all languages are national languages. Therefore, Garo, Khasi, Jaintia (local languages in Meghalaya) are national languages,” he said.
The education minister said that as India celebrates 75 years of its Independence, the youth should also shift their focus from rights to responsibilities. “Walking on the path of duties, we have to take our country to new heights in the next decade,” he said.
He urged the youth to bring about change in the society by participating in knowledge-based revolutions in order to become job providers. “Our universities are a melting pot of ideas, innovation and aspirations and universities should be a breeding ground for research— research for welfare of society and mankind and for taking further ease-of-living,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He urged the youth to bring about change in the society by participating in knowledge-based revolutions in order to become job providers. “Our universities are a melting pot of ideas, innovation and aspirations and universities should be a breeding ground for research— research for welfare of society and mankind and for taking further ease-of-living,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Stressing on creating a strong alumni network, Pradhan said, “Let us give back either materially or intellectually to our schools and universities and also take responsibility for our state, country and humanity. There’s never been a better time to give back.”
Later, the Union minister also held a review meeting of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship where senior officers of the central government also attended. During the meeting, the minister asked the state to lead efforts for establishing the national digital infrastructure, especially a student registration portal as a part of the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) and also bring its institutions under the NIRF & NAAC framework.
“He also suggested that NEHU should act as a knowledge partner for institutions across the state, especially in imparting skill development in frontier areas. The Education Ministry of India will extend all support to make Meghalaya a model state in education and entrepreneurship,” the ministry said in a statement.