New education policy promotes multidisciplinary studies, says HRD minister

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Thursday urged students to work towards nation building in an effort to make India a “vishwaguru (global teacher)”.

He said that the newly implemented National Education Policy (NEP) was historic as it promoted regional languages and multidisciplinary studies.

“India had great mathematician like Aryabhata and philosopher Nagarjuna. We had the world’s best and oldest universities like Nalanda, and Takshila/Taxila. We need to make India great. We have a tradition of shiksha, diksha and then gurudakshna. We want the students to make India vishwaguru as gurudakshna,” Pokhriyal said 35 minute speech delivered in Hindi during Sharda University’s fourth convocation day.

Pokhriyal said that India had an asset of 330 million students. “These students in different colleges and universities have done great research in the recent times. Even in medical fields, the students have done research on Covid-19 vaccine. They have produced PPE kits, masks and other safety equipments and medicines. We have become self dependent in medical sciences due to our young students and researchers,” he said.

The education minister said that the former prime ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had given slogans “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan,” and “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Jai Vigyan” respectively. Pokhriyal added that PM Narendra Modi had added “Anusandhan” in this slogan to promote research.

On the NEP, the minister said, “A student of science can opt papers of arts, and vice versa. The students will have options to exit in the middle of the course if they want to due to any problem. The students will be given certificates, diplomas and degrees based on their credit completed. There is also option for them to continue the education later. We will promote education in 22 regional languages through the new education policy. We will also introduce artificial intelligence programmes in schools and colleges... We have seen that Japan, France and Israel, etc. provide education in their own mother languages and excel in different fields,” Phokriyal said.

Sharda University on Thursday conferred degrees to 3593 graduate students, 1203 post graduate students, and 51 Phd candidates.

Pokhriyal, along with Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, and Ravi P Singh, secretary general Quality Council of India were conferred upon honorary Phd degrees by the University. They also inaugurated University’s modern library on Thursday.