GUWAHATI: The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, and the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Guwahati, held a joint press conference on the implementation of NEP 2020 in Guwahati on Monday. During the media briefing, it was informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the second Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, which coincides with the third anniversary of NEP 2020, on July 29 at ITPO, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The two-day event is being organized by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The Samagam will provide a platform for experts from schools, higher educational institutions, and skilling institutions to discuss, deliberate, and share insights, strategies, success stories, and best practises in implementing the NEP 2020.
Speaking about the implementation of NEP 2020, Prof. Gautam Barua, Director, IIIT Guwahati, said, “The vision and provisions of the National Education Policy are so vast and holistic that all the provisions of the policy can be expected to be fully operationalized by 2040.” Thereafter, Dr. Ferdous A. Barbhuiya, Associate Dean (Administration) at IIIT Guwahati, went on to share the details of initiatives taken by IIIT Guwahati in holistic academic growth as well as student welfare.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Parameswar K. Iyer, Officiating Director, IIT Guwahati, said, “NEP 2020 has set up the base for streamlining an array of progressive objectives, which is expected to catalyse the furtherance of academic and research excellence in the institutes of higher education. NEP 2020 envisions setting up a workforce to fulfil the needs of an enlightened, conscious, knowledgeable, and skilled Nation capable of identifying and solving its own problems for long-term sustainability. At IIT Guwahati, we are implementing NEP 2020 in a phase-wise manner to make sure the best practises can be included in our curriculum in the most efficient way possible.”
He went on to list some of the key features of NEP 2020 implemented by IIT Guwahati through multiple inter-, multi-, and trans-disciplinary initiatives: Establishment of Multidisciplinary Academic centres and Schools such as the Centre for Disaster Management and Research, the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, and Research and Development (R&D) in areas such as Health care, Translational Chemical Engineering Science, Agro-Food Processing, Traditional foods, agriculture practises, etc. At present, the institute is working on 470 research and 593 consulting projects worth over Rs. 673.80 crore. Under the Integrated Teacher Education Programme, IIT has proposed a four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) with multiple exit options. Centre for Indian Knowledge System—a vision to build capacity for a sustainable knowledge system Programmes such as ‘Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems’ for Ph.D. students, Archaeological Studies in Ancient Technology as an elective course, and short-term courses on ‘Spoken Sanskrit’ and ‘Spoken Assamese’, are being offered by this centre.
To bring industry and other professional expertise into the academic institutions, IIT Guwahati has engaged five “Professors of Practise” IIT has collaborated with the Government of Assam to setup the Assam Advanced Healthcare Innovation Institute (AAHII) at the Institute’s campus. Apart from leveraging advanced technologies to transform medical science, AAHII will also offer Advanced Medical Degrees in different programmes, including Diplomate of the National Board (DNB), Doctor of Medicine (MD), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), among others. Internationalization: IIT is offering a joint Masters Degree Programme in Food Science and Technology with Gifu University, Japan. Along with this, IIT Guwahati has over 100 memoranda of understanding with foreign Institutions to provide exposure to its students. For SDG implementation, the Institute has launched a first-of-its-kind course on UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 in its Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) curriculum.
In the concluding remarks, Pavni Gupta, Deputy Director, PIB Guwahati, mentioned that NEP 2020, along with its provisions, aims to bring about a change in the way education is seen by students, parents, and teachers., stated a press release.
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