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NEP aims to integrate education with 21st century ideas: PM
He also said the basic premise of NEP is to bring education out the limits of narrow thought-process and to integrate it with the modern ideas
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the education system created by the British was never part of the Indian ethos while National Education Policy (NEP) has “given us a tool to realise innumerable possibilities.”
He also said the basic premise of NEP is to bring education out the limits of narrow thought-process and to integrate it with the modern ideas of the 21st century.
He was speaking after inaugurating the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam on implementation of NEP-2020 in Varanasi on Thursday in the presence of Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
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Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Annapurna Devi, Subhas Sarkar, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, state ministers, educationists and other stakeholders were also present on the occasion.
The Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam is being organised by the Ministry of Education in association with University Grants Commission (UGC) and Banaras Hindu University from July 7-9.
Modi said there was never a dearth of intellect and talent in the country.
He underlined the multidimensionality of the Indian ethos of education while pointing out that the British gave the country an education system to create a “servant class” for meeting their own needs.
“We just do not have to prepare youth with degrees, it is imperative, that along with it, our education policy also contributes to the nation while preparing significant human resources needed to take the country forward .Our teachers and educational institutions have to lead this resolution”, he said.
For creating a New India, the Prime Minister stressed that a new system and modern processes are critical.
What was not even imagined earlier is a reality now, he said.
“Not only did we recover so fast from the big epidemic of corona, but today India is one of the fastest-growing large economies of the world. Today, we are the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world”, he added.
Modi said that in areas like space technology, where earlier only the government used to do everything, now a new world is being created for the youth through private players. Sectors that used to be closed to women are now showcasing their talent, he said.
In the new policy, the entire focus is on making children skilled according to their talents and choices.
“Our youth should be skilled, confident, practical and calculative. The education policy is preparing the ground for this,” he said.
The Prime Minister emphasised the need to work for the future with a new thought process.
He said children today are displaying a very advanced degree of talent “and we need to be prepared to help and harness their talent”.
Modi lauded the effort that went into the preparation of NEP and emphasised that the momentum was not let down after the preparation of the policy.
The county’s youth is becoming an active partner in the growth of the country, he said.
Modi also talked of a big overhaul of education infrastructure in the country. Many new colleges, universities, IITs and IIMs are opening. There has been an increase of 55% in the number of medical colleges after 2014, he said. The Common Entrance Test for universities will bring ease and equality to university admissions, he added.
“The National Education Policy is now opening the way for studies in the mother tongue. In this sequence, ancient Indian languages like Sanskrit are also being carried forward,” he said.
Modi expressed confidence that India can emerge as a big centre of global education. He said guidelines have been issued to prepare Indian higher education as per international standards. Special offices have been established in 180 universities for international affairs of the institutions. He asked experts to be aware of international practices in the field.
Modi emphasised the importance of practical experience and fieldwork. He asked for an attitude of “lab to land”.
He also asked for research on the demographic dividend of India and finding ways to best utilise this and find solutions for the ageing societies of the world.
“National Education Policy has given us a tool to realize innumerable possibilities which were not available earlier. We need to use it fully,” he concluded.
The three-day Shiksha Samagam will provide a platform for eminent academicians, policymakers and academic leaders to deliberate and share their experiences and discuss the road map for effective implementation of the NEP-2020.
