New Delhi (NVI): The government should have minimal intervention in educational policy as it “belongs to everyone”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today, as he addressed the inaugural session of the Governors’ Conference on the National Education Policy.
The conference was joined by President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and governors of several states including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.
“Education policy and education system are important means of fulfilling the aspirations of the country. Centre, state government, local bodies, all are attached to the responsibility of education system. But it is also true that the government, its interference in education policy, its impact, should be minimal. As foreign policy, defence policy are of the country, not govt, so is education policy. It belongs to everyone,” PM Modi said.
He urged people to take the “collective responsibility to implement NEP-2020 in Letter and Spirit”.
Modi further said that the NEP 2020 focuses on “learning” instead of “studying” and goes ahead of the curriculum to focus on “critical thinking”.
“The New Education Policy focuses on learning instead of studying and goes ahead of the curriculum to focus on critical thinking. In this policy, we have stressed on passion, practicality, and performance,” Prime Minister Modi said.
The Prime Minister also said that the NEP 2020 is modern and will give a new direction to the social and economic life of the 21st century India.
“Work on National Education Policy had started over 4-5 years ago. Millions of people – both rural, urban, and people associated with the education sector had given their suggestions for the NEP,” the Prime Minister said, adding “Over 2 lakh people had sent in their suggestions.”
“We are working to make India a knowledge economy. To tackle brain drain, the NEP has paved the way for opening campuses of best international institutions in the country to bring them within reach of youth from simple families,” the Prime Minister said.
New education policy paves way for opening campus of best international institutions in India so that youth from simple families can also join them, he said.
Titled ‘Role of NEP-2020 in Transforming Higher Education’, the conference is being organised by the Ministry of education.
NEP-2020 is the first education policy of the 21st century which was announced after 34 years of the previous National Policy on Education in 1986, according to Prime Minister’s Office.
-CHK
