Extending full support in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay said that key concepts under NEP like strengthening administrative capacities, socio-emotional learning and environmental awareness are "very crucial" for the development of students.
On Thursday, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal held a virtual meeting with Azoulay in New Delhi and discussed key issues of mutual importance including NEP, India's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, Azoulay appreciated the response of India in mitigating the challenges of COVID-19 and ensuring continuity of education during the pandemic by providing education to the students through different mediums of TV, radio and online to the last student of the country, according to an official release.
She remarked that India's response to COVID-19 was remarkable in terms of scale and diversity. She also requested the Union Minister to share the experiences and best practices relating to the education sector of India with member states of the UNESCO.
Pokhriyal mentioned about initiatives undertaken to ensure continuity of education for children across the country. "NEP aims to transform the educational ecosystem for over 340 million students of the country. It is based on the foundations of equality, equity, access, affordability and accountability. It seeks to fulfill our Prime Minister's vision of making India a 'global superpower of knowledge' and his 'mission' to create a 'global citizen," he said.
He said that as recommended in NEP, the government will soon bring out school textbooks with more emphasis on environmental education.
Stressing that concerted efforts were taken to ensure no loss of the valuable academic year, he talked about Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY), an initiative for differently-able children. He also spoke about MANODARPAN, the government's initiative to provide online psychosocial support to students, teachers and families for their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Highlighting the crucial role played by Indian educational institutions during the trying times of pandemic, Pokhriyal said these institutions transformed the challenges posed by COVID into opportunities.
( With inputs from ANI )
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