Challenges and Opportunities for Higher Educational Institutions in Implementing NEP 2020

Gathering of doyens in the field of education and that too on the same date and timing and the venue was DAVCC FBD, in the inaugural session of the one day seminar on challenges and opportunities for higher educational institutions sponsored by ICSSR, New Delhi. What more the audience could ask for when you get to listen to erudite, scholarly, sagacious person Padam Shri Prof J S Rajput, former director NCERT, speaking like a saint on the meaning of being educated is to learn to live and learn to live together. And the crux of NEP -2020 was conveyed in three words : अस्तित्व, मनुष्यत्व और आच्र्यत्व । The very gentle and humble honourable VC, Central University Haryana, Mahendragarh Prof Tankeshwar Kumar, elaborated from his first hand experience of students struggling with language issues would find it easy to express themselves and not any longer be afraid of studying in English language only. The esteemed Prof BS Rajput, the venerable Keynote speaker stole the heart of everyone by talking about Indian traditions, Indian culture and Indian history, and passing on the Lok Vidya to students through the NEP. Major General (Retd) Rajan Kochar, shared very passionately about the self reliance needed in the defence sector and the danger India’s safety and security faces from neighbouring countries. He emphasised time and again on the need to have defence studies and research centres in colleges and universities. Exports from the defence sector have already started moving up. The policy might take some time in implementation but all the senior speakers could see the strong currents of change in the education sector after its implementation. In the technical sessions and panel discussion eminent professors from prestigious universities deliberated upon the issues which could possibly arise with CBCS, CES, multiple entry exit, and use of MOOCs. Everyone enjoyed listening to the speakers. In fact the limitation of time had to be taken into account and in the valedictory session the very Seasoned teacher, researcher and trainer Prof A K sharan, from NIFM shared that teh only thing constant is change and there are always some inhibitions when it comes to accepting change. Teachers’ are the most important instruments of bringing about this change through NEP and they have to be adept at adapting themselves to the changing times. All the speakers and panelists left an indelible imprint on the minds and hearts of the teachers and students and hopefully the seminar proved to be a milestone in taking teachers and our college forward in the direction of successful implementation of NEP -2020. The annual in-house multidisciplinary journal of the college was released on the occasion.