No.PR-208 August 14, 2020 New Delhi Funds critical for implementation of NEP 2020: say experts at PHDCCI Webinar Addressing the webinar on Implementation of National Education Policy organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, experts stressed that availability of adequate funds will be critical for implementation of the well documented National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Therefore, educational institutions should be allowed to make reasonable profit as this will not only make them sustainable but will also make the system both clean and transparent. Experts underlined the need for training of teachers. They shared that there is need to focus on quality of research in the country because 96% of Research Papers submitted by Indian students are rejected due to poor quality. Addressing the participants, Mr Anil Swarup, Founder Chair, Nexus of Good, Former Secretary – School Education Ministry of Education, GoI stated that the decision to impart early education in mother tongue is a master stroke as it will help in better learning. He said that for implementation of the policy, training of teachers is also important. He stressed that NEP is a good Policy document but for fructification of this Idea, the practical aspects like availability of funds, and proper administration will be important. Moderating the Session, Mr Vikas Gupta, Managing Director, Wiley India said that the New Education Policy of 2020 brought out after 34 years will revolutionize the education sector and align it to the development and industry needs. He added that the emphasis on multidisciplinary education, Liberal arts, flexible curricula and multiple entry and exit options in degree courses, is highly encouraging. NEP 2020 creates a model to connect education with industry 4.0. Opening of higher education space for foreign universities will bring Indian Education System at par with other countries and will benefit students. Welcoming the NEP 2020, Prof. Sandeep Sancheti, Vice Chancellor, SRM Institute of Science & Technology, Chennai stated that higher education has become bankable with the introduction of an academic bank of credits. Flexibility of subjects, credit transfer and multiple entry-exit points will ensure that everyone – fast and slow learners can complete their education without any stigma and can tailor their degrees. He added that Virtual Labs in different disciplines of Science and Engineering would cater to students at various levels and help them in learning basic and advanced concepts through remote experimentation. This will also allow sharing of costly equipment and resources, which are otherwise available to limited number of users due to constraints on time and geographical distances. Underlining the importance of funds for implementation of NEP 2020 and making the educational institutions autonomous, Prof. Sancheti suggested setting of corpus funds. Sharing the International Perspective, Mr Aditya Malkani, South & East Asia, Representative, The Association of Commonwealth Universities said that Indian students are very keen to study in good foreign universities. Therefore, by allowing global universities to set up campuses in India will not only drive investment but will also enable students to have access to international curricula, technology and faculty in the country itself. He added that it is a positive step towards raising the quality of higher education. Earlier welcoming the Chief Guest, speakers and participants, Mr. Madhu Sudan Vij, Chair, Chandigarh Chapter, PHDCCI said that the session brings together experts and stakeholders from education sector to discuss and share their views and suggestions for successful implementation of NEP 2020. Ends Media Division PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry