Minister for Higher Education and Tourism, Temjen Imna Along, said Nagaland was privileged to host the first Northeast National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 Conclave, aimed at facilitating meaningful discussions on the implementation of NEP 2020 across the Northeastern region.
Along said this while chairing a press conference at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur, on September 17, ahead of the two-day conclave scheduled to be held on September 18 and 19 at J.P. Park & Banquets, Naga United Village, Chümoukedima, Nagaland.
The conclave is being organised by the Government of Nagaland in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Government of India, on the theme “Implementation of NEP 2020: Vision, Challenges & Opportunities for the North Eastern States.”
Along said the conclave had been conceived in view of the transformative objectives of NEP 2020 and the need for an inclusive and holistic approach to its implementation. He said the platform would enable stakeholders from across the Northeastern states to understand the policy and deliberate on the challenges of implementing it in letter and spirit.
He said the conclave would seek to create a roadmap for the Northeast and identify strategies for successful implementation of NEP 2020. The stakeholders would also work towards developing a realistic, flexible and result-oriented plan, including task lists and action plans to address challenges faced by educational institutions.
Highlighting the expected outcomes, Along said a team would be developed to collectively support the implementation of NEP 2020 in respective institutions across the region. Best practices would be shared and resources exchanged among institutions, while mentoring, managerial interventions and capacity-building measures would also be explored.
He identified several critical areas requiring attention, including accessibility, quality of teaching, research and innovation, funding, infrastructure, teacher training, assessment standards, governance, coordination and learner-centric teaching and learning methods. He said effective implementation would require concerted efforts from governments, educational institutions, teachers, students, academicians and other stakeholders.
Along further said the conclave would not be restricted to higher education but would also cover school education, technical education, new technologies, innovation, skills and management in the education sector.
He said the event would bring together professors, academicians, university leaders, ministry officials and other stakeholders, besides ministers and advisors from the Northeastern states. He informed that delegations from all the Northeastern states had been confirmed, including education ministers from five states.
The Minister expressed hope that the conclave would facilitate meaningful discourse and technical sessions and lead to stronger partnerships and networking among the Northeastern states, academic institutions and other stakeholders for the effective implementation of NEP 2020.
The inaugural session of the conclave will be held on September 18, with Minister Temjen Imna Along as Chief Host. The first day of the conclave will feature parallel plenary sessions and a cultural programme, while the second day will include parallel plenary sessions and a valedictory function.
P.D. Sona, Minister for Education, Tourism, Library, RWD and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, will be the Chief Guest at the cultural programme, while Kishor Barman, Minister for Panchayats, Higher Education and General Administration, Government of Tripura, will be the Chief Guest at the valedictory function.
(Tiakumla, IA Dimapur)
