NEP 2020 Will Lead 21st Century India To New Direction: PM Modi During Shiksha Parv Conclave | 8 Key Highlights

Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about the National Education Policy and how it will lead India to a new era during his address at the Shiksha Parv' Conclave today. Here are 8 key highlights from his speech.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the National Education Policy (NEP) will take 21st century India to a new direction by sowing the seeds of a new era while addressing the conclave on "School Education in 21st Century" under the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) today. The conclave was held virtually through video-conference. The Ministry of Education had organised the two-day conclave, which started on Thursday, as a part of the "Shiksha Parv", the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement. The "Shiksha Parv" (education fest) is being celebrated from September 8-25 to honour teachers and take the new National Education Policy ahead. Several webinars, virtual conferences, and conclaves on different aspects of the NEP are being organised across the country, the PMO said. The conclave was organised to discuss the implementation of the policy and the challenges that will have to be faced. Key highlights of the prime minister's address

• The PM said that the National Education Policy 2020 is a way to fulfill the new aspirations and new hopes of our new India. It will sow the seeds that will lead 21st century India in a new direction.
• He said that the NEP was developed in 2020 though the hard work and dedication of various stakeholders over the last 4-5 years. But the work is not complete. It’s just the beginning. The road ahead is to ensure its effective implementation. He said this work needs to be done together. He said that after a feedback call was sent to educators in the country, the education ministry received more than  15 lakh teachers provided suggestions on the implementation of the NEP.
• The Prime Minister also elaborated on all the changes that the NEP 2020 will bring in the education sector and said that it will emphasise fun and activity-based learning. He also said that the NEP structure will help to give more freedom of choice to students and they will not be required to fit in any one bracket.
• "The NEP will give attention to Pre-school learning which the first outside experience for the children," said the PM. He also said that preschool learning will now not be restricted only to urban areas but will also reach rural India to ensure every child is included. "We need teachers right from the pre-school level who focus on fun-learning, activity-based learning, and discovery-based learning"
• PM Modi also talked about the new curriculum that will be developed under the NEP. "The new curriculum will focus on integrated, interdisciplinary, and fun-based learning. It will be forward and future-looking and based on scientific thinking. For this, suggestions will be taken from everyone. In 2022, when India celebrates its 75th Independence day, students will move toward the future with this curriculum."
• He also said that NEP will also focus on coding, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things, cloud computing data science, and robotics as these will be the skills needed for the future. In his address, he said that the future is going to be different and life is set to change. We need students to move forward with 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, curiosity, and communication.
• Indian languages will be given importance under the NEP and the PM said that it is necessary that we remember that language is just a medium of learning.
• The NEP will also look at the holistic assessment of students and according to the Prime Minister, the dominance of the mark sheet to assess a student will be reduced. " Right now we are focussing on marks and mark sheet but learning is a continuous process. Instead of mark sheets now we will have a holistic report card, which will have asses the potential, aptitude, attitude, competency, and possibilities of the student and not just marks."