The National Education Policy (NEP) rolled out by the Centre is being welcomed by leading academicians across the country. From school teachers to parents, professors to research students, there is all round appreciation for the holistic approach of the policy.
Hailing the forward looking, multi disciplinary thrust of NEP 2020, Vice Chancellors of two of the most prominent centers of higher education – Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia, spoke exclusively to NewsMobile to share their perspective and explain how the paradigm of education is going to change forever in India going forward.
Stressing on the detailed process of consultation that the government embarked upon before rolling out NEP, JNU VC Prof M Jagadesh Kumar says, “It has been formulated post nationwide consultation. More than 2.5 lakh gram panchayats, over 600 districts were contacted, detailed consultations were held with respective state governments and Members of Parliament. The draft document was translated into 22 languages. Inputs from all stakeholders across the spectrum were factored in. So today, every Indian can proudly say this is my own NEP.”
Jamia VC Prof Najma Akhtar agrees. “I would call it groundbreaking. It has come after a lot of consultation and it is indeed welcome that India decided to give herself a new education policy after 34 years. Earlier I used think looking at other countries, when will we get one. Today the day is here. It covers the entire gamut of education starting from pre-primary which had never featured in a policy earlier to Class XII and then has a seamless transition to higher education,” she says.
#NewEducationPolicy2020
It was a long due and much awaited reform in the education sector. A single regulator for higher education institutions except, multiple entry and exit options in degree courses are steps taken in right direction.@PMOIndia @DrRPNishank @HRDMinistry— Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University) (@jmiu_official) July 29, 2020
“We had several education policies in the past but this NEP is unique for the simple reason that earlier our education system had become very rigid over the last couple of decades, but this changes all that. NEP emphasizes on holistic and multidisciplinary approach to education and is much more flexible in nature allowing students who may have to discontinue studies for some reasons to come back and get started from that very point,” explains Prof Kumar.
Prof Najma Akhtar too lauds the fresh approach to learning spelt out in NEP. “Higher education in India will now be holistic and multi-disciplinary with a shared focus on science, arts and humanities. NEP will create new opportunities for students in the domain of higher education. They can pursue education with greater flexibility in a seamless learning environment. They can enter, exit and re-enter as per their convenience and career choices,” she says.
The concept of academic bank of credits is also a big takeaway for the education fraternity. “Students can now pursue courses from different institutes and accumulate these credits. When these credits reach certain threshold, students can get their degree. This is a great step to make our higher education flexible,” explains Prof Kumar.
The focus on teaching in regional languages, the dependence on traditional Indian knowledge systems, emphasis on creation of a corpus to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue their higher studies and formation of the gender inclusion fund aimed at ensuring every girl goes to school and pursues studies are also valuable takeaways from NEP 2020, both the VCs agree.
“The idea is to transform India into a global knowlged super power and NEP is the vehicle,” says Prof Akhtar.
The “best part” of NEP, Pror Kumar says, is that it will prepare students rooted in Indian ethos with global outlook.
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