Reactions to PM Modi's speech on NEP 2020

“Playful learning is central to effective early childhood pedagogy - integrating play into early education is as important for intellectual and personal growth as it is for academic success. Today, on completion of one year of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought this crucial element of learning into focus by announcing the introduction of play-based learning in school education, as a step towards realising the goals of NEP 2020.As part of this initiative, a three-month play-based school preparation module, called Vidya Pravesh, will be developed for Grade 1 students, to prepare them for the academic journey of the ensuing years.

I believe that _the_ introduction of this module is just the beginning, albeit a great one. It is important for the government and schools to slowly and steadily make playful learning a central aspect of strengthening primary education and, thus, the holistic development of every child. At VIBGYOR Group of Schools, we believe firmly in the power of high-quality early education as a facilitator of effective child development, and we stand ready to adopt any initiatives that will help us in achieving this goal.”

- Kavita Sahay Kerawalla, Vice Chairperson, VIBGYOR Group of Schools

“The hasty and forced rush to remote learning last year, due to the pandemic, exposed the fragmented adoption of education technology and digital capabilities across thousands of schools in India. Schools with a more robust technology infrastructure were able to adapt quickly, however, there were many schools, especially in rural areas, that lacked the necessary resources to transition to online classes. This has underscored the need for policies to strengthen and improve India's digital education system for the long term. The threat of future pandemics and global disturbances also highlight the need for robust distance education, both to prepare for another global health emergency and to bridge the socioeconomic gap in education.

The new face of education after the pandemic will require visionary professionals to lead the way through various initiatives, such as the launch of an open-source National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) by Prime Minister Modi today. The launch comes at an opportune time, when there is a worldwide focus on digital education. This is an important step towards making the digital education landscape in India more accessible, equitable and efficient, and mirrors Ampersand's own conviction that, for India to truly become a world leader, it is imperative to make quality education available to everyone, even in the remotest of villages, and that digital channels will play a vital role in this regard.”

- Rustom Kerawalla, Chairman, Ampersand Group

“One of the most significant features of the NEP announced last year was that ’quality higher education must aim to develop good, thoughtful, well-rounded, and creative individuals’. This was, and continues to be a visionary statement for all of us in the academic community. The ongoing pandemic has clearly outlined the need for individuals, especially our young people, to learn resilience, empathy, life-skills, be entrepreneurial, develop the ability to work with those having divergent views and most importantly be digitally savvy. These qualities are the essence of the multi-disciplinary way of education, whose goal is to groom students with skills to face the uncertain future. The NEP 2020 has proved that it is a truly progressive policy which will go a long way in creating a bright future for our young students.”

-  Dr. Dishan Kamdar, Vice Chancellor, FLAME University

“ACCA applauds the government on the first anniversary of National Education Policy (NEP), a true guiding force behind revolutionising the education sector in India.  The recent announcement of the Academic Bank of Credit will provide more flexibility in the individual learning paths and the Introduction of NISHTHA 2.0, will improve the quality of school education through an integrated programme of teacher training.”

- Md Sajid Khan, Head of International Development at ACCA

"NEP 2020 has been a truly forward-looking policy that addresses the needs of a young nation with strong aspirations. It is heartening to note that it is being driven from the highest levels of the government in recognition of the strategic importance of education. Today’s address by Prime Minister Modi underscores the importance and commitment. The new initiatives such as NDEAR and NETF are absolutely vital to reform education by bringing in digital technology. This will provide the much-needed impetus to achieve scale and quality in education at a small marginal cost and make it affordable to the common man. As a University constantly engaged in finding ways to improve the quality and the reach of the education, we welcome these developments."

- Prof. Milind Padalkar, Pro-Chancellor, The NorthCap University

“A year ago, the government announced a comprehensive education policy aligned to global standards with the focus on Early Childhood Education (ECCE). The policy aims at replacing the 10+2 schooling system in India with 5+3+3+4 system. The first year of the NEP was challenging as schools operated digitally owing to COVID-19 pandemic. The vision of the National Education Policy will be fruitful with proper implementation and adherence. With an emphasis on digital first ideology, and additional initiatives like Nishtha 2.0, Indian Sign Language, three-month module created by NCERT, the National Education Policy will ensure continuous and uninterrupted learning. At Lighthouse Learning, we have also upgraded our curriculum to meet the guidelines & objectives under the National Education Policy, 2020 which will help build versatile, skilled and  future ready citizens”.

- Prajodh Rajan, Co-Founder & Group CEO, Lighthouse Learning

“It was heartening to hear Prime Minster Modiji acknowledging the success of digital learning in India when he spoke about NEP today. We also greatly welcome the decision to launch a competency-based assessment framework for Grades 3, 5, and 8 in CBSE schools.

 The Ed-tech industry is poised to support his vision for the future. Smart initiatives like integrated programme for teacher’s training designed by NCERT; SAFAL (Structured Assessment for Analysing Learning Levels) are definitely going to benefit us tremendously.

 The NEP is well-suited to bolstering our education system and transforming India into a global education hub. I think it is about time that school leaders across the country embrace the digital aspect of learning and use it to optimize the in-class and at-home learning experience. Adoption of the ‘Phygital Model’( i.e Physical + Digital) model of teaching is the only way to make learning more interactive and engaging in the future.”

- Divya Lal, Managing Director, Fliplearn