National Education Policy 2020 gets mixed response from the Industry.

A panel led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan had submitted the draft of the new NEP to Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ when he took charge last year. The Union Cabinet today approved the new National Education Policy (NEP) after 34 years.

Mayank Kumar, MD and co-founder, upGrad said: “Hopefully, once the NEP extends the RTE to 18 years, it’ll be the first step to democratize higher education as well. The entire premise of increasing GER to thereby increase the GDP of the country will fall flat if the now ‘educated’ 18-year-olds are not ’employable’. So, this will be the much-awaited and much-needed first step towards the larger goal of creating a stronger Bharatiya work-force.

Given the contextuality of the current situation when the NEP has gotten approved, I expect a significant push for online education, as right now ‘education’ and ‘online education’ are synonymous. The push would invariably lead to mushrooming of more edtech players in the already crowded-sector, allowing choices for the learner and fueling a price war for the players. This is where ‘quality’, one of the foundational pillars the draft NEP is based on, will drive value & outcome for the learners.”

Speaking on the new National Education Policy, Ganesh Raju, Founder and CEO, Ken42 said: “Ken42 applauds the New Education Policy 2020 for its potential to create industry-ready professionals by making vocational learning a part of the main syllabus. Interestingly, with internships beginning in grade 6, the new policy is also a nod to the tradition of apprenticeship and skill-building at an impressionable age. Students will now be able to discover their aptitude and pick up relevant skills along with main-stream education. This helps to eliminate the confusion graduates typically feel when they have a qualification but no insight in to the kind of career they want to embark on with the degree they have earned. The New Education Policy 2020 is a big step in the country’s path to being self-sufficient”