New Education Policy aims at making India a global knowledge superpower: Vice President

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the New Education Policy (NEP) brought in by the Centre aims at making India a global knowledge superpower and he underlined the need for the country to once again become a ‘Vishwa Guru’ in the field of education.

Addressing the 13th convocation of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Agartala virtually from Hyderabad, he said the NEP draws inspiration from the ancient Indian education system which used to focus on developing holistic and well-rounded personalities.

The NEP seeks to make Indian education holistic, multi-disciplinary, and practical, Naidu said.

He pointed out that the ancient education system always taught us to live in harmony with nature and respect all beings and non-beings.

“Our education was practical, wholesome, and complementary to life.”

Calling upon the higher education institutions and universities to make India a thriving hub of knowledge and innovation, Naidu advised them to take up cutting-edge research in various fields, establish synergy with industries and other similar institutions and turn our campuses into exciting centres of creativity and research.

Recalling the advice of former president A P J Abdul Kalam to the youth to dream big, the Vice President asked the students to set a goal and strive hard to achieve it. “You will succeed if you work with dedication, discipline and sincerity without wavering from your chosen path,”

Stressing the need to be agile, Naidu said, “Students, researchers and academicians, therefore, cannot afford to remain in a world of status quo. They have to constantly learn, update themselves, and innovate every day.”

“One who learns and adapts better will thrive,” he added.

The Vice President urged the corporate sector to identify key research projects in various sectors and fund them under CSR initiatives. “Enhancing public and private investments in research is of vital importance for creating a knowledge-driven society.”

With about 65 per cent of the country’s population comprising youth, Naidu called for fully channelising the energies of the youth and creating the right ecosystem for promoting entrepreneurship among them.

He also lauded NIT Agartala for being ranked within 100 best engineering institutes the under the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF).