Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the implementation of the National Education Policy and emphasized developing a hybrid system of online and offline learning to protect school-going children from excessive exposure to technology.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the implementation of the National Education Policy and focused on developing a hybrid system of online and offline learning to protect school children from extreme exposure to technology stress. In the last two years, several steps have been taken towards the implementation of NEP with the objective of access, participation, inclusion, and quality, he added.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi also said that the database maintained by Anganwadi centers should be seamlessly linked with the school database as children go to schools from Anganwadi. He also advocated for regular health check-ups and screening of children in schools with the help of technology.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister was apprised about the progress of the National Curriculum Framework being prepared under the National Steering Committee. He said that a hybrid system of online and offline teaching should be developed to save school-going children from excessive exposure to technology. The Prime Minister said that emphasis should be laid on the use of indigenously developed toys to develop conceptual skills among the students.
He also suggested that secondary schools with science laboratories should engage with farmers of their area to conduct soil tests to create awareness about soil health. The Prime Minister said that many such transformational reforms have been initiated, from reintroducing school dropouts into the mainstream to introducing “multiple entry and exit” in higher education.
According to the PMO, the Indian knowledge system is being promoted as per the recommendations of the NEP and in view of this, an Indian Knowledge System (IKS) cell has been established in the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), And 13 centers across the country have been opened. The PMO also said that 2,774 Institute of Innovation Councils has been set up in higher educational institutions in 28 states and 6 UTs to encourage an eco-system of start-ups and innovation.
The meeting was attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministers of State for Education Subhash Sarkar, Annapurna Devi, and Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Principal Secretaries to Prime Minister PK Mishra, Chairman of University Grants Commission, Chairman of AICTE and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Several senior officials of the education ministry including the director were present.