NEP-2020 Will Prove To Be A Game-Changer: VP M Venkaiah Naidu

The National Education Policy-2020 seeks to restructure higher educational institutions of the country towards the changing needs of the knowledge economy, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday, asserting that it will prove to be a game-changer.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 75th Foundation Day celebrations of Delhi University's Hansraj College, Naidu observed that education must empower, enlighten and emancipate for the nation to move forward as one.

"The National Education Policy-2020 is set to transform the world of education. The NEP lays out an elaborate, layered roadmap for educational institutions in terms of charting the course of national development and seeks to restructure the higher educational institutions of the country towards the changing needs of the knowledge economy," he said.

"The policy will prove to be a game-changer. I am happy to learn that the Delhi University is implementing NEP-2020 from this session in right earnest," he added. The NEP approved by the Union Cabinet replaces the 34-year-old National Policy on Education framed in 1986 and is aimed at paving the way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems to make India a global knowledge superpower.

Choice between three or four-year undergraduate courses, multiple entry and exit options in degree courses, adding three-and-half crore seats in higher education institutions, which will now have a single regulator, discontinuation of M.Phil programmes and fixation of fees are among the higher education reforms outlined in the new NEP.

During his address, Naidu said education holds the key to national development and emphasised the need for making quality education accessible and affordable to all. The inauguration ceremony of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations marks the beginning of a series of academic and cultural events to commemorate this special year.

DU VC Yogesh Singh, Padmashri Dr Punam Suri, president governing body, Hansraj College, Prof Rama, Principal of the college also attended the event. On this occasion, the vice president unveiled the bust of Mahatma Hansraj inside the college premises and also released a book titled 'Arya Samaj Aur Mahatma Hansraj' written by professor Rama.

Naidu urged teachers to relate their teaching and curriculum with the real history of India, its culture, its tradition, its folk arts and languages, dialects, and core Indian values. "The commitment of the college to transmitting the richness and grandeur of Indian culture is laudable. I am told that apart from the main library of the college with modern facilities and resources, there is a separate library of rare Vedic literature and texts. I was also pleased to learn that the teaching and non-teaching staff along with students perform yagya every month," he said.

Naidu reiterated the need to preserve and promote mother tongue and called for providing basic schooling in child's mother tongue. He also called on the students to fight against social evils such as gender discrimination, casteism and corruption, and to focus on development of agriculture and villages.

The vice president also emphasised the need to focus on one's duties to enjoy one's rights. Hansraj College, one of the foremost institutions affiliated to the University of Delhi, was founded by the DAV organisation on July 26, 1948.

The first President of India, Bharat Ratna Dr Rajendra Prasad inaugurated the current campus of the college. Lauding the commitment of Hansraj College in transmitting the "richness and grandeur" of Indian culture, the vice president expressed happiness that the values of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati and Mahatma Hansraj shape the moral vision of the college.

Naidu also praised the Hansraj college for fostering research and innovation and creating an academic environment which promotes value-based holistic learning and personal growth.  "As a result, Hansraj College, has over the years, emerged as a premier centre of educational excellence, a fact that all of you can be justly proud of," he added.

During his address, DU vice chancellor Yogesh Singh commended the college and its alumni and attributed their "unparalleled success" to the spirit of Mahatma Hansraj that animates each of their ventures. He exhorted the college to join the ongoing efforts across the university to scale newer heights of academic excellence.

Professor Rama acknowledged the contributions of the faculty members, non-teaching staff, and the students to the progress the college has made over the 75 years of its existence. The college principal informed that significant efforts have been made in recent years to enhance the quality of academic instruction and the infrastructure in the college. She also proposed a number of plans for the future developmental initiatives to be undertaken by the college. 

(With PTI Inputs)