NEP will make our education flexibile, says President Ram Nath Kovind

New Delhi, Sep 19: President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said that the New Education Policy (NEP) will bring flexibility in country's education system and will allow students to take courses as per their vocational, professional or intellectual requirements while addressing the Visitor's Conference on 'Implementation of National Education Policy 2020.

Lauding the new education policy the President said it aims to reorient our educational system towards meeting needs of 21st century. It sets vision of developing an equitable and vibrant knowledge society by providing quality education to all. It achieves twin objectives of inclusion and excellence.

"NEP seeks to discourage rote learning and overemphasis on marks or grades. It seeks to encourage critical thinking and a spirit of enquiry."

Referring to the nation's academic history India's 14th president Kovind said that India was a globally respected education hub in ancient times. Universities at Takshashila and Nalanda had iconic status. But today, India's higher education institutions do not get high positions in global rankings.

Effective implementation of NEP is likely to restore India's glory as a great centre of learning. One of the targets of NEP 2020 is to increase Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50 per cent by 2035. Technology can help in achieving this target, the President added.

Supporting including of Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), Kovind said, ABC is a major shift in policy which will be of great help to students. This will digitally store academic credits earned from various Higher Education Institutions so that degrees can be awarded, taking into account credits earned by students.

ABC will allow students to take courses as per their vocational, professional or intellectual requirements. It will also allow them suitable exit and re-entry points. This flexibility will be very useful for the students, president added.