There has been enough talk about the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 since it came into existence on July 29, 2020, replacing the previous National Policy on Education drafted more than 30 years earlier in 1986.
Leave aside a few groups of literary folks here and there, the NEP 2020 is largely hailed as a progressive framework that is bound to transform the Indian education system into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society and turn the country into a global knowledge superpower.
So, it was only a matter of time before we at Education Post, the country’s premier publication on higher education, got direct access to the man who helped draft the futuristic new policy – our former education minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhiryal ‘Nishank’.
During the extensive interview, Dr. Pokhriyal spoke about everything academic – from his thoughts on education to literature to Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi’s vision for India. And we can’t thank him enough for the time he took out to answer our long list of questions, and finally putting to rest any confusion related to the NEP 2020.
The policy, he says, has been analyzed by more than 100 top institutions across the globe, including Cambridge, Harvard and Michigan universities, that have described the NEP 2020 as historic, transformative and extremely practical.
On the sidelines of Dr. Pokhriyal’s visit to UNESCO, his office received calls from education ministers of more than a dozen countries expressing a desire to hold bilateral meetings to know more about our NEP 2020.
“I would give the credit for the successful formulation of this policy to all the stakeholders, including you (Education Post), who made this policy a reality with their hard work. The NEP 2020 was not only welcomed in India but also abroad for its quality, innovation, and transformative measures. In fact, the NEP 2020 is the foundation stone for creating a self-reliant and prosperous India,” he says.
India has been the Vishwa Guru since the beginning of civilization, Dr. Pokhriyal points out. “When the world was struggling in darkness for their survival, India was teaching about the identity of humans with the supreme (Aham Brahmasmi). We were talking about consciousness (Chit). When the world was using primitive agriculture methods, we were conducting surgeries. People from all around the world came to India in search of knowledge and to gain from its priceless wisdom,” he says, adding that the concept of university first emerged in India.
The NEP 2020 is all set to bring back to India its Vishwa Guru tag.
Dr. Pokhriyal also touched upon the problem of unemployment, and had some happy words to share.
Approximately 65 percent of India’s population is below the age of 35, and the huge transformation post-NEP implementation will have great impact on this population group, he says, adding that in the coming years when some of the most powerful nations will see a decrease in workforce numbers, India is expected to witness an increase.
 2020 since it came into existence on July 29, 2020, replacing the previous National Policy on Education drafted more than 30 years earlier in 1986.){kind=link}