Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan expressed concerns over the declining standards of teaching and called for improvement in quality. Appealing to the State governments for collaborative work with the Centre, she said effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 was the way forward.
Ms. Soundararajan was speaking at ‘Synergising Higher Education in the context of NEP-2020: Strategies for implementation’, a two-day conference being held at the Osmania University. She said the policy promotes critical thinking and all-round innovation, and will help the country emerge as a knowledge-based economy, while creating an equal, equitable, accessible and inclusive education system.
“Indian students are superior in their grasping power and we are respected all over the world for our skills and talent. However, we need to think seriously about why we are failing to attract foreign students to our educational institutions, while around 10 lakh Indian students are studying abroad,” she added.
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NEP-2020 must be implemented in letter and spirit to reclaim India’s “Vishwa Guru position”, she added.
Ms. Soundararajan, briefly but comprehensively, also flagged hindrances to improving quality of teaching and standards. “Teaching vacancies need to be filled on priority basis in the universities,” she said.
All India Council for Technical Education chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe also outlined the core principles of NEP-2020 and expressed confidence that the policy would pave way for inclusive, equitable, accountable and accessible learning.
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Telangana State Council of Higher Education Chairman R. Limbadri, Central University of Karnataka vice-chancellor Bhattu Satyanarayana, Osmania University vice-chancellor D. Ravinder, and ABRSM national president J.P. Singhal were among those present.