'NEP 2020, well-planned roadmap to nurture young talent'

Kasaragod: The National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 is a well-planned roadmap to develop an ecosystem that will nurture the talent of the country's young generation, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Tuesday.

Delivering his speech at the 5th Convocation of the Central University of Kerala at the Periya campus here, Kovind said the NEP aims to prepare the students for the world of tomorrow, while also equipping them with the best of India's own traditions.

"India is, after all, the land of Nalanda and Takshshila, of Aryabhata, Bhaskaracharya and Panini. Gandhiji compared the indigenous educational system with a beautiful tree that perished under colonialism. An effort is being made to rediscover its best aspects so that India makes a contribution to the world that it alone is destined to make," Kovind said.

The President said the most outstanding feature of the NEP is that it aims to promote both inclusion and excellence.

Kovind said through its varied curriculam, NEP promotes liberal as well as professional education, because each stream of knowledge has a role to play in society and in nation-building.

"That way, the NEP can become instrumental for India to harness and reap the demographic dividend," he added.

He said the country's growing population makes it "incumbent upon us to nurture the next generation talent."

"When the younger generation is provided with skills and knowledge required for success in the world of the twenty-first century, they can do miracles," he said.

The President also pointed out that the Union Government has recommended names of three cities from the entire country for being listed in UNESCO's Global Network of Learning and two of them are from Kerala.

"These two cities are Thrissur and Nilambur.

Being part of this Global Network supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting life-long learning opportunities for all," he said.

Kovind handed over gold medals to three graduates.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and State Local Self Government and Excise Minister M V Govindan also attended the event.