The National Education Policy (NEP) is key to fulfilling the nation's aspirations, but the government's intervention and influence should be minimal in this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, 7 September.
Addressing the inaugural session of the Governors' Conference on NEP, the PM was quoted as saying, "The new National Education Policy focuses on learning instead of studying, and goes beyond the curriculum to focus on critical thinking. In this policy, we have stressed on passion, practicality, and performance.”
Saying that the policy will become more relevant and broad-based when it is associated with more teachers, parents and students, Modi emphasised on the aim to make India a hub of knowledge economy in the 21st Century.
“New education policy paves way for opening campuses of best international institutions in India so that youth from common family can also join them... As foreign policy and defence policy are of the country, not the government, so is education policy. It belongs to everyone.”PM Modi, as quoted by PTI
Along with the PM, President Ram Nath Kovind, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal governors, and vice chancellors of universities were also part of the conference.
The National Education Policy (NEP), which was recently approved by the Union Cabinet, aims to overhaul several aspects of India's education system, both at the school level as well as at the higher education level. Aiming to bring changes at all levels of education, the draft policy had been formulated by a committee headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Dr K Kasturirangan and submitted to the minister last year.
New Curriculum for Teachers By 2021: President
Speaking at the conference, President Ram Nath Kovind said that a new integrated and multidisciplinary curriculum for teachers will be in place by 2021.
President Kovind said that teachers education, which is a part of higher education, can be started in a multidisciplinary manner by states, while urging universities and schools to fill-up vacant teaching posts at the earliest.
Stressing that teachers are the core of the National Education Policy, President Kovind said that the best minds should be recruited for the job and that the government should ensure them a respectable job.
(With Inputs from PTI & The Indian Express)
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