SRINAGAR: Advisor to Governor, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai has said that technology is the future and we are in the age of big data analytics, artificial intelligence and robotics – which holds the key to the development and
progress of any nation in future.
He stated this at University of Kashmir on Thursday. Former UGC chairman Prof Ved Prakash also delivered a lecture on draft National Education Policy -2019 here. Prof Talat Ahmad, Vice Chancellor of varsity was also present.
Ganai urged the teaching faculty in higher education to make optimal utilization of available technological tools in teaching pedagogy so as to connect the students of the valley with the best available online educational
resource platforms enabling them to face the challenges of the modern-day world.
“We need to ask the question to ourselves, as policy planners, teachers whether we give the right kind of scientific and technological education to our students in higher education sector which will make them competent
enough to face the challenges of the modern day world,” he added.
Referring to the observations made by Prof Prakash on the draft ‘National Education Policy -2019’, Ganai said “These inputs shall go a long way in giving directions to us in the government and other policy planners to fix
priorities and to make sure that the benefits as have been envisioned in the new policy document should percolate down to the grassroot level.”
Prof Ved Prakash presented a detailed analysis of the draft. He said, “This document is very important and will affect the life of not only the students and teaching fraternity but every single individual of the nation.”
Deliberating upon the pros and cons of the draft policy, Prof Prakash said, “This exercise is being conducted after 33 long years as the last National Education Policy was introduced in 1986 and the first ever education
policy of the nation was drafted and introduced in 1968.”
While enumerating some of the recommendations of the new policy up to secondary level of education, Prof Prakash said, “The policy proposes universal access to early childhood education by 2025, flexibility in the selection
of subjects by the students, stress on examination reforms, formation of school complexes and sharing of resources, extension of right to education upto Higher secondary stage covering children upto 18 years of age, emphasis
on vocational subjects of education, setting of Indian Institute of Translation, reconsidering the over domination and practice of exams at every class and stage.”

KR Desk