Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai flagged off admissions under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in undergraduate colleges across Karnataka on Monday, August 23, making the state the first in India to implement the NEP. Speaking at an event to mark the decision, the CM also announced a new digitisation policy, which aims to provide internet connections in even remote parts of the state, so that students can access online classes and resources.
“The NEP liberates education and makes education student-centric. The policy will allow a student to explore their creative potential unlike in the current structure,” the CM said. He added, “Digitisation is very important not only for education. So, I announce a new digitisation policy for Karnataka. The policy will provide internet connection to every village. I invite suggestions from experts so that the digitisation policy will be implemented quickly like the NEP.” He also added that a primary and secondary education council will be launched in Kalaburagi.
Under the NEP, existing all degree courses will have four-year courses compared to the present three years, and will do away with the triple-major system that is popular in UG colleges in the state. Instead, the NEP aims to allow students to choose one major discipline along with one minor discipline, which will be the focus of their degree. They will also not be bound to choose only one area of study —Arts, Commerce or Science— after NEP is implemented. The policy also has provisions for multiple entry and exit points for students.
While Monday’s programme launched admissions for the current academic year in colleges under the NEP, classes will begin from October 1, 2021, an official from the Education Department said at the event. CM Bommai said that the NEP also aims to focus on research and development. “There should be a link between students, educational institutions and industries, so Karnataka will be coming up with a new research and development policy,” he said. The Chief Minister also announced that the state government will offer free tablet PCs to the students enrolling in the first-year degree.
The event to launch the NEP in Karnataka was also virtually attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Pradhan lauded Karnataka for implementing NEP and stated that a new era of education had begun for the state. Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh, Higher Education Minister Dr CN Ashwathanarayana and Dr Kasturi Rangan—who headed the NEP draft committee— were also present and spoke at the event.