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KOHIMA — An academic assembly on ‘Challenges to the implementation of NEP-2020 and the Krishna Chandar Award 2024 ceremony was held on Saturday at the Capital Convention Centre in Kohima.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education, Government of Nagaland, and Purvottar Janajati Shiksha Samiti NE, under the aegis of Janajati Shiksha Samiti Nagaland.
Speaking at the programme, minister of Higher Education and Tourism, Temjen Imna Along, who attended the occasion as special guest, emphasised on transformative role of NEP 2020 in building a resilient education system in Nagaland. He highlighted the responsibility shared among teachers, community leaders and government departments in achieving quality education.
The minister commended Zakienei Khoubve, former additional director of of School Education, for his dedication to promoting the Hindi language within the state and acknowledged the role of Krishna Gandhi Award in recognising such invaluable contributions to the Rashtra Bhasha– Hindi language.
Addressing initial concerns from Christian institutions about the objectives of NEP 2020, he stressed that the policy seeks to unify rather than impose ideologies and added that the policy advocates for inclusivity within NEP’s framework.
He called on community leaders, teachers and NGO members to actively contribute to NEP’s success, asserting that "government alone cannot drive change."
He also highlighted infrastructural challenges faced by schools in remote areas.
Additionally, he extended an invitation to participants from Janjati Shiksha Samiti to regularly hold educational discussions in Kohima, fostering partnerships in advancing NEP goals.
Dr. Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, advisor of School Education and SCERT, expounded on Nagaland’s educational initiatives, highlighting Vidya Bharati’s reach in education including a skill development centre in Kiphire, a border district with Myanmar, where literacy challenges, particularly among girls, persists.
He informed that 107 schools were recently closed, consolidated or downgraded to improve standards. He also acknowledged the government’s collaborations with EMRS, Kendriya Vidyalayas and the Sainik School Punglwa.
Dr. Yhome emphasised the Nagaland’s proactive approach in early childhood education, noting the state’s leadership in this area even among the states in the country, and stressed on aligning Indian education with OECD standards to advance global educational goals.
He underscored the need to make India as a global leader amongst developing countries considering the robust system that is available in the country so as to lead the educational system.
The advisor further called for an institute of regional importance to promote Hindi education, acknowledging logistical challenges in language instruction due to Nagaland’s multilingual character and to give an impetus to Hindi education.
NEP 2020 goes beyond education reform
Dr. Dusi Ramakrishna Rao, national president of Vidya Bharati, outlined NEP 2020 broad vision describing it as a blueprint for a comprehensive transformation of India’s educational landscape.
He pointed out that NEP aims to provide quality education by 2030 not only for life changing but also mind crafting and character building experiences with a broad knowledge base.
“In the policy there is a clear indication, there is a big shift in the way we educate,” he said adding that in the NEP there are many ways of learning areas that all lead to quality education besides thrust on activity-based discovery oriented and experiential learning.
Dr. Rao highlighted the recent release of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for foundation and secondary stages, containing extensive curricular guidelines and assessments.
He called for a unified stakeholder engagement, stressing that India’s 1.25 crore teachers require continuous training beyond government initiatives while also advocating for continuous professional development for teachers.
The president also underscored the importance of modernising classrooms and integrating diverse learning strategies to foster holistic development besides emphasising the role of technology in achieving NEP objectives.
He further asserted the need for convergence of the community, parents and NGOs engagement in the education process in order to achieve the desired goals.
Nagaland Chief Secretary, Dr. J Alam, expressed the state government’s commitment towards realising NEP’s goals and praised Vidya Bharati’s contributions to education.
The commissioner and secretary to the governor and also commissioner and secretary of Higher and Technical Education, Rajesh Sundarajan, also conveyed the Governor’s message, commending Vidya Bharati’s role in advancing education in the region.
Khoubve honour with KC Gandhi Award
Zakienie Khoubve was honoured with the Krishna Chandar Gandhi (KC Gandhi) Award 2024 in recognition of his significant contributions to Hindi education in Nagaland.
Khoubve, a retired additional director (Hindi) of School Education, was honoured for his long-standing role in promoting Hindi including founding the Kohima Hindi Teachers Union and collaborating with SCERT Kohima to develop Hindi textbooks for classes 5-8.
In a tribute to Hindi literature, a book on Padma Shri Piyong Temjen Jamir, a Hindi scholar and litterateur, was also released during the assembly.