Techno India University Celebrates National Education Day, 2021

November, Kolkata: Techno India University organized a webinar on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 on the 11th November to celebrate National Education Day. The main agenda of this webinar was to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the National Education Policies.

 

The occasion, which marks the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, brought together Prof. Manoshi Roy Chowdhury, Hon’ble Co-Chancellor, Techno India University, Dr. Goutam Sengupta, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Techno India University, Dr. Pradipta Basu, Deputy Registrar, Techno India University and C.R. Maitra, former GM, Phillips, India, amongst others to lead the discussions. The webinar was attended by more than 300 individuals from academic and non-academic sectors.

 

Due to the profound connect that the National Education Policy 2020 has with Monoshij - Techno India University’s recently launched wellness platform that stresses on holistic educational practices in the post-pandemic world - this webinar holds great relevance in current times when education is going through an overwhelming, rapid overhaul in every respect. Brainchild of Prof. Roy Chowdhury, Monoshij makes mental well-being central in the educational process. Launched by Techno India University in October 2021, Monoshij seeks to integrate academics with vocation, values and ethics with deep respect for students’ free will and right to choose. It emphasizes upon shaping young minds into goal-oriented, responsible and happy professionals and citizens for the future.

 

Dr. Goutam Sengupta summed up the National Education Policy 2020 in a brief power-point presentation and explained how these policy documents released by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development aims to bring about major transformational reforms in the education sector. The new policies revolve around a comprehensive framework that encompasses care from early childhood to foundational literacy, curtailing drop-out rates, ensuring universal access to education at all levels and most importantly, making learning a holistic, integrated, enjoyable and engaging process for all. In saying so, he aptly pointed out how perfectly aligned, the Techno India University’s approach to education is with NEP 2020.

 

It was after a 34-year hiatus that the Union Cabinet approved a new national education policy that replaced the 1986 policy (modified once in 1992).  

 

Prof. Manoshi Roy Chowdhury explained Techno India University’s far-sighted educational practices in the post-pandemic era. “Education is not just about books, it is much more and we have shown that,” she said. She pointed out how NEP 2020’s orientation towards developing a global mindset, skills, ethics and values in a flexible learning environment using technology extensively with no hard separation between vocation and academics has been wonderfully embraced and adapted by the Techno India University.

 

In her speech, she highlighted how the university has taken rapid steps in bridging the gap between the current state of learning and what is required by facilitating enhanced teacher training programmes that emphasize conceptual understanding, critical thinking and tapping into the creative potential of every child.

 

Lauding the efforts of the educators of the university and all the other institutions that come under the aegis of Techno India Group, she said, “Over the past one year, when students have been locked away with a laptop and have been stripped of their elements, our teachers have made continuous efforts to encourage them to carry on with their hobbies alongside their studies. They have fostered hope and positivity each day by telling them that all will be well soon.”  She mentioned the changes in the pedagogical structure that have been brought about by the university’s academic policy-makers and congratulated her colleagues for recognizing and integrating digital education and sports actively into the curriculum.

 

Picking up the threads from here, Dr. Goutam Sengupta added that by integrating technology into the system efficiently, the university has ensured continuance in the field of education. “Whoever is lagging behind in this integration today, will have a huge challenge of continuance tomorrow,” he stated.

 

Deputy Registrar, Techno India University, Dr. Pradipta Basu, congratulated his colleagues for being part of an institution that encourages a multidisciplinary, technology-driven, holistic education system aimed at the overall development of future citizens. “That we had discarded a singular-axis, uni-dimensional way of educating our children with accelerated efforts says a lot about the responsibleness and integrity with which we approach education,” he affirmed.

 

The final and eminent speaker of the webinar, Prof. Dr. C.R. Maitra, spoke about the connect between innovation in industry and NEP 2020. Citing examples like Netflix and Amazon which have revolutionised the face of entertainment and supply-chain management, he explained how the understructure of NEP 2020 bridges the gap between industry expectations and requirements. “The current set of policies discourages rote learning and encourages critical thinking, experiential learning, multidisciplinary ideas and use of technology extensively in professional courses. This is primarily what builds in each individual, the ability to think creatively, innovate and provide end-to-end solutions in each and every aspect of an industry like product innovation, manufacturing, quality control, marketing, sales, supply-chain management and customer services,” he concluded.