Nanded: ‘National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 will certainly enhance the quality of higher education in a backward area like Marathwada,’ opined distinguished academics and experts at a one-day symposium on ‘NEP-2020 and Trajectory of Higher Education in Marathwada’, held at the Narahar Kurundkar auditorium of People’s College, Nanded, recently.
The symposium was jointly organised by Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University (SRTMU), Nanded, and People’s College, Nanded. The symposium was inaugurated by Dr Manohar Chaskar, Vice-Chancellor, SRTMU. Dr Venkatesh Kabde, former MP and President of the Nanded Education Society (NES), the parent body of People’s College, was in the chair, while Prof. Mrs Shyamal Patki, Secretary of the NES, was the chief guest on the occasion.
Dr Chaskar, while inaugurating the symposium, maintained that higher education needed to be skill-based to make it socially relevant. He further propounded that radical changes needed to be made in the higher education system and that universities, teachers and students owed the responsibility for the same. He opined that teachers should change their mindset to usher in radical changes in order to face the changing scenario.
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In his remarks from the chair, Dr Kabde expressed concern at the fact that large sections of Indian society were still deprived of the opportunity to seek higher education and hoped that NEP-2020 would incorporate these sections in the mainstream of Indian society. Prof. Mrs Patki stressed the need for the higher education system to provide students with moral and value education and that school and higher education should be treated in a holistic manner.
Dr Vijay Pandharipande, former Vice-Chancellor of Dr Babasaheb Amebedkar Marathwada University (BAMU), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, in his keynote address, made many valuable suggestions in connection with bringing about reforms in higher education. He added that there had been too many discussions about the necessity and content of the changes required to the higher education system and that it was high time that a time-bound action plan be drawn up to implement these changes.
Dr S.G. Bhanegaokar, the officiating principal of People’s College, made introductory remarks, while Dr A.N. Siddhewad, the vice-principal, conducted the proceedings. The vote of thanks was proposed by Dr D.N. More, member of the Management Council, SRTMU.
In the first session of the symposium, Dr Sudhir Gavhane, former Vice-Chancellor of Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU), Nashik, gave a talk on ‘NEP-2020 and Quality of Higher Education in Marathwada: Challenges and Opportunities’. He took a historical review of the overall backwardness of Marathwada and urged that appropriate measures be taken by the state government to improve the quality of higher education in Marathwada. Dr Vikas Sukale made an introductory remark and proposed a vote of thanks for the first session.
The symposium was attended, among others, by noted litterateur Prof. Datta Bhagat, Shri Deepnath Patki, Prof. Ganeshraj Sonale, and the following members of the Management Council of SRTMU: Shri Narendra Chavan, Dr Suryakant Jogdand, and Dr Hanmant Kandharkar. The faculty, administrative staff and students of People’s College, in addition to media persons, education lovers and others, were also present.
