National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 revolutionized the education sector. It has introduced much-needed changes in the education system, which were long due to ensure that Indian students are at par with the world student community. The Education Ministry, Government of India, will celebrate the third anniversary of NEP 2020 and the second Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam in New Delhi on July 29 and 30, 2023. Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, is likely to inaugurate the celebrations.
Select experts from higher education institutions (HEIs) will deliberate on various issues like access to quality education and governance, equitable and inclusive education, research and development, etc. Director IIM Nagpur Dr. Bhimaraya Metri is one of the experts invited to share his insights on NEP2020.
As a run-up to the third-anniversary celebrations of NEP2020, IIM Nagpur organized a seminar on ‘NEP2020: Achievements and Roadmap Ahead’ on July 20, 2023. Directors, principals, and vice chancellors of various regional institutes and universities participated in the event. Expert academicians like the Director of VNIT, Dr. Pramod Padole, Director of IIIT, Dr. O. G. Kakde, Director of IMT, Dr. Bigyan Verma, Vice-chancellor of Gondwana University, Dr. Prashant Bokare, Director (Engineering) of Priyadarshini Group of Institutions Dr. Vivek Nanoti, and experts from Ramdeobabacollege of engineering Nagpur, shared their experiences and future plans concerning the implementation of the new policy.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Metri said that NEP2020 has introduced flexibility in higher education, which must be handled responsibly. This policy offers the opportunity for students to opt for subjects that were never thought to be studied in one go. NEP2020 has made it possible for institutions in one cluster to enable the switching of students for various courses. While adopting newer systems, new challenges are bound to crop up. Nevertheless, he added that the conviction to do things right will help every institute and student do well.
Dr. Padole insisted that the Vidarbha region was well equipped with good infrastructure, educational facilities, and industry. There is an urgent need to project this on the state and national level. Inter-disciplinary education is the core of NEP, he added. Measures undertaken by VNIT to align with NEP2020 were listed during the seminar.
Dr. Bigyan Verma, Director IMT, informed that they, despite being a Business School, had launched a course in psychology. The institute focused on multi and intradisciplinary education systems.
Dr. Bokare upraised the experts about various social initiatives Gondwana University took in synch with NEP2020. Meanwhile, Dr. Kakde pondered on how to evolve while aligning with the new policy. Dr.Nanoti also elaborated on various steps his institute took to ensure a multi-disciplinary education system.