Page 52 - March EW PDF 24

Cover Story

Speed & scale reforms fordable and high-quality education
to India’s children.
hishir Jaipuria is Chairman such as PM SHRI Schools, National • Fourth, we need a National Mis-
of the Seth Anandram Jaipuria Initiative for Proficiency in Reading sion on AI (artificial intelligence) for
SGroup of Educational Institu- with Understanding and Numeracy Teachers with an initial government
tions and also Chairman of FICCI- (NIPUN Bharat), PM e-VIDYA for investment of Rs.2,000 crore for
ARISE (Alliance for Reimagining digital education, NCF for Founda- training teachers in AI technologies.
School Education). tional Stage, NCF for School Educa-
tion, and NISHTHA (National Initia- Education brought to
tive for School Heads’ and Teachers’
Holistic Advancement). forefront
Achieving the prime minister’s
Viksit Bharat vision requires an edu- r. Deepak Madhok is
cation infrastructure and academic Chairman of the Varanasi-
ecosystem that facilitates provision Dbased Sunbeam Group of
of quality education to all children Educational Institutions
and youth. A flexible regulatory
framework is crucial, enabling every Are you satisfied with the education
education institution to excel in its record of the past 10 years of the BJP
area of expertise while fostering in- government?
novation and ensuring transparency.

What should be the Top 3 education
priorities of the new government?
I would rather want to highlight the
What is your assessment of the govern- first 100 days agenda for the new
ment’s efforts to implement reforms and government. My wish list:
initiatives in school education during the • First, prioritise and invest in early
past ten years? childhood care and education and
India has been defined by its ambi- foundational literacy and numeracy
tion, aspirations, and eagerness to (FLN). A PM-led National level
narrow the gap with developed coun- Information, Education, Commu-
tries during the past decade. Under nication (IEC) campaign should be
the current leadership, the Indian launched to increase national aware-
education ecosystem is adapting to ness of FLN.
evolving trends and seizing opportu- • Second, we need to improve digital
nities. infrastructure in schools in mission Yes, very. Education has been
A major achievement of the gov- mode. A national level assessment of brought to the forefront of national
ernment has been reforms at speed K-12 infrastructure needs to be done deliberations with the NEP 2020
and scale. The visionary NEP 2020 to improve digital connectivity of and NCF for the Foundational Stage
has the potential to generate a seis- schools countrywide. We also need to 2022 and NCF for School Education
mic shift in K-12 education through focus on addressing the problem of 2023. These documents are new
a switch to experiential learning, teacher shortages and learning gaps guiding lights for school educa-
critical thinking, problem solving, of students. tion. In years to come they will have
professional development of teachers • Third, liberalise private education. far-reaching impact resulting in the
and building a culture of research, There is urgent need for the govern- design and implementation of in-
creativity and innovation. Another ment to incentivise ‘high-quality’ novative teaching-learning processes
laudable thrust area of the govern- private education groups to expand which will improve learning out-
ment has been promotion of skill capacity. I recommend permitting comes and prepare our children for
development and vocational train- schools to be set up in the follow- the fast-evolving world.
ing through the Skill India Mission ing three structures: government
and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas funded/aided; private philanthropy; What are the biggest education achieve-
Yojana. private for-profit. This is a great way ments of the BJP government?
In school education, a number of to attract long-term patient capital, NEP 2020; NCF for the Foundation-
key initiatives have been launched generate competition and provide af- al Stage 2022 and School Education

52 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2024