Maharashtra: Will allocate time for debate on NEP in Upper House, says Neelam Gorhe

Thane: Deputy Chairperson of Maharashtra Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe on Friday said she will allocate time in the coming session of the legislature for debate on the new National Education Policy (NEP) and hoped it will be implemented in the state without any hassles.

She was speaking virtually at a conclave on NEP 2020 held in Thane.

Referring to the teachers and graduates constituencies in the state, Gorhe said the Upper House has a big representation of teachers and a debate on NEP was essential for its implementation.

“We always raise issues of justice and economic rights of teachers. However, there has not been much discussion either in the Assembly or Council on the New Education Policy,” she said.

Gorhe said she will allocate time for debate on NEP in the Upper House and hoped that with the support of the government and stakeholders, it would be implemented in the state without any hassles.

She said NEP “has played a historical role as it thinks of transforming education as one of the sustainable development goals”.

“The sustainable development (goal) aims to ensure that no one is left behind. We can bring education reforms into various human rights,” she said.

How an educational institution should be set up is a very crucial issue, she said. Institutions that have come up some 100 years or 70 years ago have seen a lot of changes in the past 20 years, Gorhe said.

There is a need to decode NEP at the grassroots level for its wider acceptance, she said.

In her keynote address, delivered virtually, University Grants Commission (UGC) Joint Secretary Manju Singh said the active participation of stakeholders was crucial for the success of the new NEP.

“The vision of the policy is that it has to be, you know, global in its approach. Our students, our learners, they have to be global in their approach, but at the same time, they should have a deep root pride in being Indian,” said Singh.

Educational institutions should design their programmes in such a way that each course itself is multi-disciplinary.

“That means not only ethics, moral, but global knowledge should also be made available to the students. So that when he passes out, he passes out as a well-groomed individual. That means he has all the attributes of a global citizen,” she said.

She said technology can be used to improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which measures the general level of participation in education. She also underscored the need for online and open and distance learning.

“So every function can be improved in its efficiency through the use of technology. We are all aware of the SWAYAM platform and now UGC has allowed that 40 per cent of the courses can be taken up from home via this platform,” she said.

She also touched upon the new programme named ‘NEP Sarathi’ wherein there will be considerable involvement of students in the implementation of the new education policy.