New Education Policy will play a key role in creating “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”: Prime Minister Modi

NE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY BUREAU
GUWAHATI, SEP 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday the New Education Policy (NEP) announced by his government will play a key role in creating a self-reliant India and open up the education sector for facilitating greater global exposure for Indian students.

Modi said holistic knowledge, of which science is an integral part, is the answer to all problems.

Addressing the convocation of @IITGuwahati. Watch. https://t.co/3pxngGM1Ep

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2020

The NEP, he asserted, will establish India as a global education destination. “Students, I firmly believe that the future of a nation is what its youth is today. Your dreams are going to shape the reality of India. That’s why this is the time to be future-ready and future-fit,” he said addressing the 22nd convocation of IIT (Guwahati) through a video conference.

Modi spoke about the importance of education as a key component for creating an “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) and said the NEP is for the youths of the 21st century who will lead the world and make India the global leader in science and technology.

The NEP, which is designed to ease the burden of classroom teaching and examination on students, will play an important role in the country’s march forward, he said. “We all know that knowledge has no boundaries. The NEP will open up the country’s education sector.

The intention is to open campuses of foreign universities in India and our students get global exposure here. “Likewise, research collaboration and student exchange programmes between Indian and foreign universities will be promoted. The credit acquired by our students will be counted in Indian institutions. The NEP will establish India as a global education destination,” the prime minister said.

The “high performance institutes” of India will also be encouraged to set up campuses abroad, he added. Noting that the policy has all those things which were on the top of youths” wish list, Modi said, “The NEP has been made multi-disciplinary with flexibility given for (choosing) subjects. Multiple entry and exit options have been offered. “And most importantly, the NEP will link education with technology, and will make technology an integral part of students” thought process.

That means students will learn about technology and will learn through technology.” The NEP has also opened up paths for the use of artificial intelligence and expansion of online learning, he added. The prime minister informed the virtual gathering that a National Education Technology Forum will be set up to promote the use of technology in the learning process, and the IITs have “infinite possibilities” in that. “To enrich the research culture in the country, a National Research Foundation (NRF) has also been proposed in the NEP.

The NRF will coordinate with all funding agencies and provide funds for research in all disciplines including science and humanities. “The potential research works with practical applicability will be recognised and implemented. For that, coordination and a close linkage will be established between government agencies and industries,” he added.

Modi lauded the efforts of IIT Guwahati in adopting new technologies, especially for inventing new equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and appreciated the introduction of a two-year research programme on e-mobility. “I am also happy to know that IIT Guwahati is leading in the integration of science and technology in B.Tech courses. I am fully confident that inter-disciplinary programmes will make our education all round and futuristic,” he said.

The prime minister said Assam and the Northeast are full of possibilities, but floods, earthquakes, landslides and many industrial disasters plague the region. “To deal with these problems, a high degree of technological support and intervention are needed. I request IIT Guwahati to set up a Centre for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction to provide expertise for dealing with the problems and to look at how to transform them into opportunities,” he added.

Modi said the Northeast is at the centre of his government’s Act East Policy, and the region is the gateway to India’s relations with South East Asia.

“The base of India’s relations with these nations have remained culture, commerce, connectivity and capacity. Now education is going to be a new medium of engagement. IIT Guwahati can become a big centre for this. Northeast will get a new identity. This will also result in new opportunities,” he said.

Maintaining that holistic knowledge with science as an important ingredient is the remedy for all pain and troubles, the prime minister appealed to the students to link their research to the challenges faced by the region and the potential it has.

“I believe that with the help of modern technologies, we can make our cultural knowledge, traditional beliefs and skills into cutting edge technologies. I suggest IIT Guwahati to play the leading role in this endeavour and establish a Centre for Indian Knowledge System,” he said. Modi also advised the students to look at the bigger canvas of global technologies while focusing on local issues.

Addressing the convocation,Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Hon’ble Education Minister, Government of India, said, “IIT Guwahati is one of the best institutes in different sectors like research, innovation and rankings. IIT Guwahati has also worked towards the idea of Atmanirbhar Bharat during COVID-19 pandemic. Convocation is not end of education but a new beginning. You came to the Institute as a student but now you will enlighten the world. You are the ambassador of the country. The key to success is positive attitude and positive aptitude.

 Stating the motto of IIT Guwahati (Knowledge Is Power), he said, “Knowledgeable human is even more powerful”.

As the Institute celebrates its 27^th Foundation anniversary, it has grown from strength to strength. The Institute has been ranked #7 among all the Engineering institutes as per the India Rankings 2020 conducted by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Ministry of Education, Government of India.

In his annual report, T.G. Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati said “It is noteworthy to mention that the research dimension of IIT Guwahati is broadening significantly and the same is now reflected in terms of multiple industrially funded collaborative research with close cooperation with Industry partners. There are 291 research projects in progress with a total sanctioned value of about Rs. 437.00 crore. In the year under report, we received 131 new projects with a sanctioned value of Rs. 183.00 crore. A total of 153 new consultancy projects were carried out during the year. The total value of consultancy projects undertaken during this year is Rs. 10.76 crores and Rs. 11.27 crores was received for all consultancies”.

Sarbananda Sonowal, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, said “IIT Guwahati has become known for its environment of academic excellence in the entire country with its quality of technical education over the years. The Institute has produced globally competitive human resources and carried out research that has significantly benefited the society. This shows the commitment of the faculty and students of the Institute. Today the society is going through a very difficult time. Assam has also been affected due to COVID-19 pandemic. Right from the initial stage, we have been striving hard to prevent and contain the spread of this pandemic. IIT-Guwahati has played an important role in assisting the state government in fighting this disease. I acknowledge and thank IIT-Guwahati team for their contribution in developing the COVID-19 kits and other infrastructure help.”

A total number of 1,803 students have graduated.

Gold Medal Winners (Class of 2020)

For the Convocation, to celebrate the graduate’s accomplishments online through virtual mode, the Institute had created a virtual reality-based award distribution where one could experience an avatar of the recipient of the award collecting a medal from Director’s own avatar surrogating him, from the comfort of their home. The Institute had also created a photo-booth, with an option of different backgrounds, for students to take pictures at some selected locations on the campus. IIT Guwahati’s faculty and students had developed a telepresence module for a virtual visit to the Institute, a release from the institute said.