NEP aims to assimilate ancient with modern: Dharmendra Pradhan at NIT Karnataka convocation

MANGALURU: The new national educational policy (NEP) is the philosophical document of the 21st century that aims to assimilate ancient with the modern, said Union Minister for Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.

Addressing the 20th convocation of the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) here, he said the Union government aims to place the nation among the developed nations by 2047 when the country celebrates 100 years of Independence from British rule.

He said the country would play a key role in future development of humanity and restore its glory as the ‘Vishwa Guru.’ He wanted the NITK to create a full-fledged sustainable Energy Department to turn the technology institute into a leading lighthouse in energy transition of the country within a decade.

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The Minister said the country’s focus in future should be on key areas like artificial intelligence, machine-learning, data analytics, electronics, genome-editing and 3D printing. Pradhan inaugurated a new building of the central research facility (CRF) and the school of interdisciplinary studies on the NITK campus.

Speaking on the occasion, he said institutions like NITK are vital to acquire ability to face global challenges. The Minister said IITs in the country have earned acclaim at the international level for quality education and expressed the hope that the country would be able to open IITs abroad within the next two years.