Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation

Discussion on “AatmaNirbhar Bharat & National Education Policy 2020: Dream of a New India” #AatmaNirbharBharat

A discussion on National Education Policy 2020 “Atma-Nirbhar Bharat and New Education Policy: Dream of a New India”, was organized under the auspices of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, where Dr. Anirban Ganguly was one of our distinguished speakers.

Alongside being the Director of SPMRF. Dr. Ganguly has also been serving as the Member of Central Advisory Board of Education under Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and also a Member of the Viswabharati Sansad, GOI.

Dr. Ganguly highlighted the key issues of New Education Policy by drawing important suggestions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on the same. He said echoing PM Modi, that the discussion on this new policy has to be disseminated at the grassroot level, and quotes him that, “If the 21st century has to be the Asian century or Indian century, we have to have an education system which will reflect India’s aspiration to shape the 21st century as India’s century”. Dr. Ganguly also said, that the beginning of National Education Movement emerged from undivided Bengal, which carries great symbolic significance for it is directly related to the idea of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat. He pointed out that starting from Sri Aurobindo, Sri Satish Mukherjee, Radhakumud Mukhopadhyay, Binoy Kumar Sarkar have all contributed toward the development of India’s civilizational education system. He said, the way the intelligentsia of undivided Bengal and post-independent India stressed upon ‘dignity of labour’ principle has been once again interpreted by PM Modi, is the major focus of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat and New Education Policy. He observed rightly that the policy is based on our past aspirations and reflects our future.

Our next speaker Dr. Avishek Adhikary, Assistant Professor, IIT, Bhilai presented his opinion on the same through a powerpoint presentation. Dr. Adhikary pointed out how after a detailed and grassroot level discussion involving Panchayat Pradhans to Members of Parliament, an approximate of 2.5 lacs opinion from different strata have been collected since the last two years to give rise to the NEP, 2020 declared on 29th July 2020. Besides, he chronologically located the gradual changes in the field of education since independence and provided insightful ideas introduced in the NEP 2020.

Shri Pathikrit Pyne, Public Policy Analyst and Political Commentator, pointed out how the New Education Policy is akin to a quantum leap idea, where the emphasis has been laid upon a two-pronged globalization process. He also highlighted the importance of MSME’s as reflected in the NEP 2020.

Our final speaker, Sri Jaydipta Biswas, Practice Director, OSI Digital, USA, highlighted upon the innovative mind build up as has been emphasized in the NEP, 2020. He basically pointed out that to be self-reliant, the hurdle of social stigma has to be done away with.

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