Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan while speaking on the National Education Policy at the USISPF India Leadership Summit 2024 in the national capital on Monday said that the policy is geared to give the youth abilities and self-confidence to become responsible citizens in a competitive world.

Addressing the audience, Pradhan has explained the foundational goals of NEP 2020 that have already finished four years of its execution. “It is a philosophical document,” he said. “Education needs to be built in the ideal form, rather than just degree and certificate qualification,” he said. According to him, building competency is more important as it is primarily used in the job market today.

Not a blessing for itself but a challenge as well as an opportunity- India’s demographic dividend: The representative hope was also echoed when the minister expressed optimism that, armed with the correct educational framework, India can unlock this demographic advantage and become a growth engine for the world economy in the years ahead.

The three key focus areas of the NEP are the integration of technology in the teaching-learning process, learning through local languages, and the research and innovation culture, said Pradhan. “These three central areas of focus are geared towards helping Indian students go on to achieve high-order academic success while developing the competencies they will need in the workplace to compete.”.

“The changes the NEP will bring in India’s education sector are essential to arm our young population for the future,” said Pradhan. He believes that the NEP will play a key role in creating a generation of informed and responsible citizens who can create worthwhile contribution in both the national and the world economy.

He reiterated the idea of giving equal opportunities to every young person in India for education. He stated that the government was committed to ensuring that quality education be provided to every child irrespective of his socio-economic background.

The first, direct implication of this is the words of Pradhan while articulating the NEP 2020 itself, which argues that it is a vision not only for an economy but also for an education system that addresses the immediate needs of the economy but empowers future youth to take up the competencies of the future. NEP 2020 seeks to align India with a knowledge-based economy, leverage the country’s demographic potential, and push growth and innovative performance toward sustainable development.

The minister’s speech at the summit reflected that, in fact, the government does hold a strong intent to reform education and how NEP is crucial in molding a new, better future for the nation’s youth.