PM Modi during his Independence day speech (Source: Youtube/NarendraModi)

Education has a crucial role to play in making India self-reliant, modern and prosperous and it is with this objective the government has drafted the new National Education Policy (NEP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address to the nation on the Independence Day.

The National Research Foundation (NRF) proposed in the new National Education Policy (NEP), Modi said, is one such example as it would catalyse innovation and aid the country’s progress. “The new education policy lays special emphasis on the National Research Foundation because innovation is important for the country’s progress. Only when we strengthen innovation and research will our country remain competitive and move ahead,” he said in his Independence Day speech Saturday.

The proposed NRF, according to the NEP, aims to enable a culture of research in higher education institutions through competitive funding across disciplines.

The new education policy, he added, would keep youngsters rooted but, at the same time, also make them global citizens.

The PM also underlined the opportunity presented by the COVID19 pandemic for the education sector through online classes. “Did anyone even think that online classes would reach our villages so quickly? Sometimes an opportunity can show itself even during a disaster. Online classes have become a culture during the times of COVID,” he said.