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Pradhan urges minority education institutions to implement NEP provisions
He was addressing an event to mark the 20th foundation day of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI)
New Delhi: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday urged the minority education institutions to implement the National Credit Framework (NCrF) and National Curriculum Framework (NCF) as envisioned in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
He appealed for standardisation of quality education across the country, while addressing an event to mark the 20th foundation day of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), which operates under the ministry of education and grants minority status to educational institutions based on six religious communities—Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsis), and Jains.
“It is the duty of minority education institutions to implement the credit framework. We have no objection to you running madrassas, but shouldn’t the National Credit Framework (NCrF) be implemented in madrassas? Shouldn’t the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) be implemented in all minority schools? Ethics, values, and the use of technology should be integrated into all education systems and thought processes. These should not be limited to minority communities but extended to all citizens of the country. Hence, the adoption of technology is our priority,” said Pradhan.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was launched by the union government on July 29, 2020 with an aim to transform the country’s education system — aligning it with needs of the future while keeping it “rooted in Indianness”.
The NEP 2020, which replaced an education policy that was in place since 1986, recommended a major overhaul in India’s education system at all levels from school to higher education.
The NCrF enables the crediting of all forms of learning from the school level onwards and ensures mobility between vocational education, training, and skilling, as well as general education. The NCF guides the development of the school curriculum, providing a framework for schools and teachers to plan experiences for students, create textbooks, syllabi, and teaching practices.
Also Read: The fine-print of the National Education Policy 2020
Pradhan added, “Examples, questions, and teaching methods can vary, but we should standardize education for a developed India. The focus of minority education institutions should be on ‘consolidation,’ not ‘isolation.’ You are working toward this, but you must increase the pace.”
According to data from the NCMEI website, the commission has granted Minority Status Certificates (MSC) to 14,049 eligible minority educational Institutions (MEIs) across the country as of September 30, 2024.
The NCMEI has been granting MSC to MEIs since 2005-06.
