‘NEP — a milestone in nation building’

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 15

The Amritsar Group of Colleges (AGC) conducted a webinar today on “National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 — Challenges in Higher and Technical Education in Punjab,” with heads of several prominent universities and institutes on the speaker’s panel.

Eminent educationalists and experts, including Prof Buta Singh Sidhu, Vice- Chancellor, MRSPTU Bathinda, Prof. Lalit K Avasthi, Director, NIT Jalandhar, Prof. Shyam Sunder Pattinaik, Director, NITTR Chandigarh, Prof. R P Tiwari, Vice Chancellor, Central University Punjab, Bathinda, were the keynote speakers for webinar.

Prof Tiwari, Vice Chancellor, CPU, emphasised on sharing knowledge-based resources to make education accessible to all by following fundamental principles of non-discrimination, solidarity, equality of opportunity and universal access to education. Prof Buta Singh Sidhu, Vice-Chancellor, MRSPTU, Bathinda, said emphasis on the development of the creative potential of each individual is the key to NEP 2020. “Push towards vocational courses will help students to enhance their God gifted talents and benefit the society. Also, the role of accreditations to propagate the way for grants, scholarships and research in varied ways will also have to be highlighted in the reformed policy.”

Prof Shyam Sunder Pattnaik, Director, NITTTR, Chandigarh, stated there is a realistic road map for the implementation of NEP-2020. He said teaching fraternity had been given a different and much required responsibility of mentoring. Dr V K Banga, Principal, Amritsar College of Engineering and Technology, shared that NEP 2020, is a milestone document in the context of nation-building, built on the foundational pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability.

“This National Education Policy (NEP) aims at transforming India into a vibrant knowledge-driven society and a global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible and multidisciplinary, suited to the 21st century needs and aimed at bringing out the unique capabilities of each student,” he said.