The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) is a well-planned roadmap to developing an ecosystem that will nurture the talent of the country's young generation, President Ram Nath Kovind said on December 21. He was speaking at the 5th convocation of the Central University of Kerala, held at the Periya campus in Kasaragod, where he presented gold medals to three graduates.
Kovind added that the NEP aims to prepare the students for the world of tomorrow, while also equipping them with the best of Indian traditions. "India is, after all, the land of Nalanda and Takshashila, of Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya and Panini. Gandhiji compared the indigenous educational system to a beautiful tree that perished under colonialism. An effort is being made to rediscover its best aspects so that India makes a contribution to the world that it alone is destined to make," the President said.
Kovind added that the most outstanding feature of the NEP is to promote inclusion and excellence. He said that the policy promotes liberal as well as professional education through its varied curriculum and that each stream of knowledge has a role to play in society and in nation-building.
"The NEP can become instrumental for India to harness and reap its demographic dividend," he added. He said that the country's growing population makes it "incumbent upon us to nurture the next generation talent." Kovind said, "When the younger generation is provided with skills and knowledge required for success in the 21st century, they can do miracles."
The President also pointed out that the Union Government has recommended the names of three cities to be listed in UNESCO's Global Network of Learning and two of them are from Kerala. "These two cities are Thrissur and Nilambur. Being part of this global network supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting life-long learning opportunities for all," he said.
