Centre mulls bringing IITs, IIMs under online education system, seeks inputs from UGC, AICTE

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government, which recently unveiled the New Education Policy, is going to implement big-ticket changes in the country’s education system and has sought suggestions from the University Grant Commission (UGC) and the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) in this regard.

According to the Zee Media sources, the Centre is mulling to convert the entire education system into the online education system. This will reduce the burden on educational institutions for running physical classes for the students.

The Centre also aims to make apex educational institutes like IITs and IIMs a part of the online education system. According to sources, the PMO and the Niti Aayog have sought feedback and suggestions from the UGC and the AICTE in this regard.

As part of the plan, the government has constituted a panel led by AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe and Dr MP Poonia, who is the Vice-Chairman of the UGC, to prepare a blueprint in this regard.

The two stalwarts have been entrusted with the task of building a digital platform for imparting quality online education to the Indian students and build necessary infrastructure in this regard.

In a letter to all Vice-Chancellors and directors of institutions, AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe had recently urged them to make India ''self-reliant'' and help achieve the national goal of being ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’.

He urged heads of institutions to encourage teachers and students for development of alternative apps, products and technologies through innovative ideas and research to make India the “primary source for meeting all global needs and requirements”.

It may be noted that Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank too urged the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to develop apps as an alternative to Chinese apps. 

The Narendra Modi government had launched the New Education Policy on July 29. The NEP aims to overhaul the country’s education system. Union Ministers for Information and Broadcasting (I&B)Prakash Javadekar and Human Resource Development (HRD) and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank made the announcement on the NEP- 2020. 

Earlier on May 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reviewed the NEP- 2020, draft of which was prepared by a panel of experts led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan. The NEP 2020 aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower”.

The new academic session will begin in September-October – the delay is due to the unprecedented coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak – and the government aims to introduce the policy before the new session kicks in.