NEP will expand horizons in education and employment, say experts from IIT-H, UoH

Hyderabad: In the run-up to the third anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) to be commemorated on July 29, the heads of institutes of higher learning including IIT-Hyderabad, the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and officials of skill development institutes shared their achievements post-implementation of NEP so far.

NEP was brought out in 2020 aiming to transform India into a global knowledge superpower through broad-based, flexible, multidisciplinary education suited to 21st-century needs, to make learning enjoyable and to promote critical thinking.

Flexibility and internationalisation

The director of IIT-Hyderabad, Professor BS Murthy said that the NEP offers more flexibility and freedom to students to choose courses, more connectivity with industries and internationalisation. The institute is focusing on academics, research (60% of students are PG and PhD) and collaboration. It’s also keen on nurturing innovation to connect to industries with projects and funding to students.

“We have 130 start-ups that created more than 1,000 jobs worth Rs 1,200 crores. We are providing BTech in engineering science, where students can pick up any course and have a provision of ‘open-to-all-teaching,’ offering real-time credited learning for remote learners in hybrid classrooms. Digital education is a key feature of NEP and so any student, whether Indian or from outside India, can register.”

“Our courses are multidisciplinary offering MTech, BTech and PhD programmes and courses related to climate change, liberal arts, heritage science and technology, BTech programmes in AI, biomedical engineering, biotechnology and bioinformatics, microelectronics, industrial chemistry, MTech in medical device innovation (in collaboration with AIG), ophthalmic engineering (in collaboration with LVPEI) and joint doctoral programmes. To attract foreign students, fellowships for international research scholars are given too. We also have collaborative programmes with other countries like the Friendship Programme with Japan,” he said.

Prof Murthy further added that in order to encourage entrepreneurship leading to Atmanirbhar Bharat, the IIT-H is supporting innovations by the students through BUILD (Bold and Unique Ideas Leading Development) projects and providing a semester break with credit points to students to pursue such innovations. Technology Research Park (TRP) for industries and Technology Incubation Park (TIP) for startups have been created in IIT-Hyderabad to encourage innovation with industry support.

Nation building course

Speaking about the implementation of NEP in the University of Hyderabad (UoH), the vice chancellor, Prof B Jagdeeshwar Rao said that they have started the Academic Bank of Credits scheme, and multiple entry and exit facilities are being implemented for all integrated masters’ programmes, making it 19 programmes in total.

“Regulations for pursuing two academic programmes simultaneously have been adopted and the university is offering 14 diploma courses through the Centre for Distance and Virtual Learning. Besides pedagogical learning, experimental, hands-on training is also being emphasised. The research and development cell has been strengthened and we are also in collaboration with foreign universities. In line with the multidisciplinary approach delineated in NEP, the UoH has introduced new courses like introduction to gender studies, value-based education, NGOs and nation building etc,” said the VC.

Importance to language

Finally, the joint director of the regional directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of Telangana State, Vidyanand stated that as NEP emphasises the integration of vocational education into general education, the institute is working towards providing students with both academic and practical skills. Integration of vocational education with general education and skilling in regional languages is being done in Telangana.

Vidyanand informed that under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 2022-23), schools, higher education institutions, colleges, universities, institutions of national repute etc are being on-boarded as ‘Skill Hubs,’ leveraging their existing infrastructure and domain experience to provide quality training under PMKVY.

“Today, there are close to 1,000 skill hubs with one lakh candidates. About 2,000 plus institutions have been allocated targets, including institutions of national repute such as IITs, IIITs, NITs, and central universities. We also provide the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS),” he said.

On a related note, prime minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, which coincides with the third anniversary of National Education Policy 2020, on July 29, 2023, in New Delhi. The two-day event is being organised by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.