New Delhi: Terming the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 as a revolutionary reform of the 21st century, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday expressed confidence that India would double the Gross Enrolment Ratio within the next 10 years from about 25 per cent at present.
The wider geographical spread of higher education institutions, especially covering rural areas, and increased demand would be the critical factors that will help improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio in India, Javadekar said while delivering the keynote address at the Centenary Year Teachers' Day celebrations by Parle Tilak Vidyalay Association of Mumbai through a video link.
The Information and Broadcasting Minister said that students across the nation have become aspirational and economic growth had pushed parental earnestness to provide good education to their children.
The Minister began his address by referring to Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak's views on education as the means of creating awareness and said that early childhood education, inquiry-based education, teacher training, and foundational and numeric literacy, have all been stressed upon.
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About the NEP 2020, the Minister said that it will make both teaching and learning an enjoyable experience and also empower our youths. He said that the new policy lays emphasis on foundational and numerical literacy and that institutions like the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) will ensure access to education for all.
Javadekar underlined the importance of Early Childhood Education as the main characteristic of NEP, saying that "the 3-8 age group is to build cognitive skills, curiosity and mental capacity".
He also said that education with subject understanding is important.