Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here on Tuesday that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises the importance of education in the mother tongue and all Indian languages.

Addressing the inaugural session of a review meeting of the Department of School Education and Literacy with states and Union Territories, Pradhan called for the basic spirit of NEP to ensure Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability in education.

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The Union education minister shared his thoughts on the roadmap for the next five years for the holistic development of school education across India. He said education is key to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat and called upon states & UTs to work together to achieve this goal.

“In almost four years of National Education Policy, the education ecosystem in the country has made tremendous progress and the implementation of the NEP is the key to transforming Bharat into a knowledge superpower and enabling equitable and inclusive access to quality education,” he added.

He said India is a young country and “our challenge is to make global citizens for the 21st century world which is rapidly changing and being driven by technology”.

“Ensuring an education system that is both rooted and futuristic is our collective responsibility,” the minister further added.

He also called for technology readiness in schools with a holistic approach and ensuring critical thinking among students.

Pradhan urged both the states and the Centre to work as a team to strengthen the education ecosystem as well as to replicate and amplify best practices from across all states/UTs.

He called upon all stakeholders in states/UTs to work cohesively to strengthen capacities, build a collaborative education system, and leverage education as the key pillar of Viksit Bharat. He also spoke about the emotional connection one shares with his/her school teachers and the importance of teachers’ capacity building in making our educational ecosystem more vibrant.

On the competency-based education, he said, “We must also augment our skilling capacities to increase employability.”