New Delhi: Hailing the National Education Policy 2020, President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday said that the Academic Bank of Credits is “a major shift” in policy which would be of “great help” to students.
“The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) is a major shift in policy which will be of great help to students. The ABC will digitally store the academic credits earned from various Higher Education Institutions so that degrees can be awarded, taking into account the credits earned by the students,” the President said.
“It will allow students to take courses as per their vocational, professional or intellectual requirements. It will also allow them for suitable exit and re-entry points. This flexibility will be very useful for the students,” he added.
He further said that the NEP 2020 document mentions nearly 20 great scientists, saint-scholars and thinkers from ancient India.
“I request you all to develop study material on them and other such great ancient scholars. Their work should be rewritten in modern terminology. Verifiable and relevant learning from our rich past must be put into practice by our education system,” he urged.
President Kovind pointed out that one of the targets of NEP 2020 is to increase Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50 per cent by 2035 adding that technology can help in achieving this target.
“The online system of education can also be utilised to reach out to international students. Technology would be particularly helpful for female students and other students from the weaker sections who find it physically difficult to access education facilities,” he added.
The President further said that the greater use of online facilities will also help overcome problems of shortage of faculty and other resources. “Educational institutions should develop very good portals and apps to provide e-learning, e-library and other digital facilities.”
He pointed out that “One of the most important features” in the NEP is equity and inclusion.
“One of the most important features of the National Education Policy is its focus on equity and inclusion. In this context, I am glad to note that according to the All India Survey of Higher Education for 2018-19, GER for females is slightly higher than that for males, he said.
Highlighting that the share of female students “is extremely low” in institutions and said that this “needs to be corrected.”
“The higher education ecosystem should reflect concern for gender justice in terms of enrolment and contribution, especially in technical institutions,” he added.
Earlier, President Kovind said that the effective implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 would help India to regain its glory as a great centre of learning. (ANI)
