One year of NEP: PM officially launches Academic Bank of Credit to help students break away from the shackles of one stream

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) and the multiple exit option on the first anniversary of the launch of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This was one of the plans proposed by the policy that had been debated throughout the year. While some agreed with the government on the argument that it gives the student flexibility, some students' organisations said that this might be a way to cover up high dropout rates.

PM Modi focused on the positive aspects after unveiling the programme virtually. "The development of the nation will depend on the quality of education we provide to our youth. I believe that India's new National Education Policy is one of the big factors in the development of the nation," he said.

The presentation by the Ministry of Education said that the multiple exit option will provide flexible multiple entries and exit options for students in Higher Education. "Multiple entry/exit will help students break away from the shackles of sticking to one stream. One can select their course and can exit if they are not interested. This is a revolutionary change," added the PM.

Like always, PM Modi showed great faith in the youth of the country and said that they are ready for a transformation. "Our youth is ready to bring a transformation. It does not want to wait anymore. We have witnessed how COVID-19 changed the entire scenario, but students adapted to these situations quickly and online education is becoming the order of the day," he said. "The NEP assures the youth that the country is complete with them and with their spirits," he said.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan spoke about the way ahead. "We mark a year of the launch of one of the most landmark policy reforms in India-New Education Policy 2020. When the world was at its peak of struggling to cope with the COVID19 pandemic, our government came up with this transformative policy," Pradhan said. "Amid the pandemic, the government launched this policy to create an impact on the educational landscape of the country. It is shaping the destiny of the nation," he added.

The NEP 2020 was launched under the then Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal amid the COVID-19 pandemic on July 29, 2020. PM Modi virtually addressed, not only the Education Ministry and school and college students, principals and teachers from across the country on the policy's first anniversary. Releasing ten schemes to implement the NEP, the PM said that the policy will take into consideration the national interest of India, while providing "digital, machine and AI-supported" learning to the students in the country. The NEP 2020 has received almost an equal amount of appreciation and criticism from various stakeholders over the past year, but the PM has always assured us that this policy is the key to a new India that will become a world leader.