BackHTLS 2020: NEP ensures public & private sector can compete, says Kasturirangan
The virtual summit will bring together global leaders to draw a blueprint of what lies ahead for India and the world
PremiumThe live discussions for the second session of the 18th edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) witnessed Ashish Dhawan and Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan in conversation with R Sukumar, Editor-in-chief of Hindustan Times on Thursday.
The theme of this year’s edition is 'Defining a New Era' as the world grapples with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual summit will bring together global leaders to draw a blueprint of what lies ahead for India and the world.
Follow our Live Blog on livemint.com to get all the latest updates on HTLS 2020.
Live Updates from Ashish Dhawan, Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan's speech:
Kasturirangan: Regarding the digital divide in the country, Kasturirangan said that technology needs to be strengthened as there are weaknesses in the current systems
Dhawan: "Most children are expected to lose a year and fall behind. Covid has forced teachers to reach out to parents. It has forced us to think about the systems we have in place. It has given us an opportunity to build a home-based curriculum. We can re-imagine the home-based curriculum using technology."
Kasturirangan: "The National Education Policy is a transformational policy. Earlier, we had to rush through the process of education in the most critical first first eight years of a child's growth. The policy states that learning starts right from the day the child is born. In respect of the educational level, all stages have been given importance."
Dhawan: Congratulating Kasturirangan regarding the NEP, Dhawan said that the primacy of the formational years of a child is important as it builds the learning trajectory. He said we need every child in the country to be able to read, write and do basic arithmetic. "There is a need to uplift the bottom half of the society," he said. Dhawan said the policy will have a huge cascade effect for the primary education.
Watch the live discussion here:
Kasturirangan: Regarding the language debate around NEP, Kasturirangan said the policy does not change the three-language formula. "There is absolutely no inhibition to learn whatever a child wants to learn. Language formula is based on science," he said.
Dhawan: "All research shows that children should learn in the mother tongue if they want to acquire language skills. If its a language you are not exposed to at home, it is much harder to acquire it. It is much easier to switch to another language after learning the mother tongue. It is also important for us to preserve our traditional language."
Regarding the private educational system, Dhawan said there needs to be greater transparency and accountability. "We should also give them greater autonomy," he said. Dhawan said we also need to incentivise the process of private sector education because a large part of our children attend them.
Kasturirangan: NEP has given enough thought to ensure that the public and private schools can compete with each other on various aspects. "Some say that the policy supports privatisation. But that's not true."
On the issue of FYUP, he said there is need for the graduates to get in-depth knowledge about any issue.
- The conversation between Ashish Dhawan and Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan has begun.
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