New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said the new National Education Policy (NEP) will reorient India’s education system to global benchmarks.
Addressing the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry Education Summit 2022, Singh said NEP is the biggest path-breaking reform in India since independence as it is not only progressive and visionary but also aligned with the emerging needs and requirements of the 21st century India.
Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, said it gives due priorities to the inherent talent, knowledge, skill and aptitude of students rather than focusing only on degrees.
He said it also gives the young scholars and students enough room to decide their options depending upon their aptitude and their personal circumstances from time to time.
Dwelling on the merits of NEP-2020, Singh said the provision of multiple entry/exit option is something to be cherished as this academic flexibility will have a positive impact on the students related to the availing of different career opportunities at different times, depending upon their intrinsic learning and inherent aptitude.
The minister also said the feasibility or appropriateness of this entry/exit option can be in future contemplated for teachers as well, giving them career flexibility and upgradation opportunities as is done in some western countries and the USA.
Singh said the policy advocates creative and multidisciplinary curriculum that includes humanities, languages, culture, sports and fitness, health and well-being, arts and crafts, in addition to science and mathematics.
It reflects the true essence of Swami Vivekananda’s man-making education, Sri Aurobindo’s integral education and Mahatma Gandhi’s basic education, according to a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.
Singh said, today, around 40 million Indians are in higher education, more than the figure for the United States and the European Union combined, and the ambitious new education policy seeks to double that number.
He said it is a big goal, but no doubt it is achievable.
Singh also pointed out that the Narendra Modi government has corrected past anomalies and explained that the biggest discrepancy in the previous education policy was the nomenclature of the ministry which was supposed to misrepresent other meanings.
The central government has changed the name of the Ministry of Human Resource Development to the Union Ministry of Education, he said.
Singh said one of the most commendable opportunities that stem from the National Education Policy is the chance for universities and colleges to incorporate entrepreneurship into their curriculum.
If this is done in a meaningful manner, it has the potential to provide impetus to the nation’s economy in a fairly short period of time, he added.
The minister also pointed out that India has made a massive jump in its ranking in Global Innovation Index (GII) from 81st in the year 2015 to 46th in 2021 among 130 economies of the world.
India ranks 2nd among 34 lower middle-income economies and 1st among 10 central and southern Asian economies in terms of GII.
The consistent improvement in the GII ranking is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant start-up ecosystem, and some outstanding work done by the public and private research organisations, the minister said.
Singh said India has been focusing much on acquiring, developing and expanding latest technologies, which can well be understood by the increasing use of drones, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, block-chain and other innovative technologies in all sectors.
He underlined that the new India is keen on making the maximum out of potential-rich areas such as science and where scientific institutions are now seen as modern temples.
The minister concluded by saying that the NEP was launched to transform India’s education system through a multidisciplinary approach.
With the National Education Policy completing two years on July 29 this year, 2,774 innovative councils in higher education institutions (HEIs) in 28 states and six union territories (UTs) have been established, according to an internal progress report by the Ministry of Education.
According to the report, 2,000 institutions in higher education are set to begin as skill hubs and of these, 700 have registered on the common portal of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the statement added.

Press Trust of India