Speakers at a webinar on the Implications of National Policy on Education 2020, organised by the Central University of Tamil Nadu, Tiruvarur. recently, observed that the objective of the policy was to make the Nation self-reliant.
Delivering the presidential address, R. Karpaga Kumaravel, Acting Vice-Chancellor, said the NEP document rightly observed that “education is fundamental for achieving full human potential, developing an equitable and just society, and promoting national development”.
Bringing out-of-school children into the school system, reducing the number of dropouts, empowering the students by providing an opportunity to choose the subjects they wish to learn, bringing in a single regulator to look after all institutions except medical and law to improve governance, giving a fillip to holistic education by envisioning convergence of science and arts streams, focusing on ethics, human and Constitutional values would go in a long way in the creation of enlightened citizenship which was essential for deepening the democratic roots, he said.
Expanding the scope of foundational education, increasing the school-going years from 3 to 18 instead of the prevalent 6 to 14, would enable a more holistic development of children in the formative age group of 3-6 years, he added.
Participating in the webinar, P. Manisankar, Vice-Chancellor, Bharathidasan University stressed the need for systematic implementation of the NEP for the desired outcome.
“It will make the education system holistic and make the nation self-reliant,” he said.
Touching upon the aspects in the NEP aimed to make the Universities world-class institutions, J.A.Tareen, former Vice-Chancellor, Pondicherry University, observed that important factors to be considered for global competence and recognition were density (campus strength) and diversity (students from all parts of the country).
Deliberating on the development-driven guidelines in the NEP 2020, Professor N.Panchanatham, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University, highlighted the need for alumni support and fund generation by pointing out that all stakeholders should observe and share the responsibility for the development of higher education.
G.Padmanaban, Chancellor, CUTN, S.Sivasubramanian, Vice-Chancellor, Bharathiyar University, were among those who participated in the webinar, according to a CUTN press release.