NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the new National Education Policy had been prepared after widespread consultations and was a major attempt to take education out of the “one size fits all” approach followed till now.
Addressing the inaugural session of the Governors’ Conference on the National Education Policy, the Prime Minister while elaborating on various aspects of the NEP 2020 said the education policy should have limited interference from the government and its policy and have participation from students, guardians, teachers and education experts.
The Prime Minister said concerns regarding implementation were being addressed in a “transparent manner” in the states.
“This is not the government’s education policy but the country’s education policy. Just like the External Affairs policy is of the country and not the government and the Defence policy is also of the country and not a particular government,” the Prime Minister said.
Notably, concerns are being voiced from several quarters, including the states and political parties, especially regarding “saffronisation” of the education policy.
The Prime Minister, while exhorting participants to organise seminars and meetings in respective states on the NEP 2020, said the draft had been prepared after consultations and suggestions from more than two lakh stakeholders, including students, guardians, teachers and experts.
“It is after such a wide consultation that we have arrived at the NEP, which is also the reason it has received so much support and acceptability,” the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the new policy aimed at not just about bringing changes in the education system but also give a direction and give shape to India’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, building a strong economy and make India a global destination for education by bringing in top institutions of the World.
“It focuses on knowledge and skill, learning and critical thinking. It is an attempt to take education out of the ‘one size fits all’ approach and build a foundation with an introduction to language and culture without any ‘dabav, abhav and prabhav’,” he said.
President Ram Nath Kovind also addressed the inaugural session of the Governors’ Conference on National Education Policy.
Exhorting states to build on research and quality education, President Kovind said the success of the NEP 2020 depended upon the participation of states. “Education comes under concurrent list,” he said, asking states to resolve existing issues such as filling in vacancies in respective states and help make India a knowledge hub.
The Conference titled “Role of NEP-2020 in Transforming Higher Education” is being organised by the Ministry of Education.
The NEP-2020 is the first education policy of the 21st century which was announced after 34 years of the previous National Policy on Education, 1986. Various webinars, virtual conferences and conclaves on various aspects of the National Education Policy 2020 are being organised across the country to meet the challenges in its implementation.
Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said language would not be forced on any state and that the NEP had received unprecedented support from all states.
Directed towards major reforms at both school and higher education levels, the new National Education Policy strives for making India into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society. It envisions an India-centred education system that contributes directly to transforming India into a global superpower.
The comprehensive transformation aimed at the NEP will bring about a paradigm shift in the country’s education system and create an enabling and reinvigorated educational ecosystem for a new Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission had earlier organised a “Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy-2020”.