Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day summit in Varanasi on Thursday that will culminate with the adoption of the Varanasi Declaration on higher education.
The summit is being organised by the Ministry of Education in association with the University Grants Commission and Banaras Hindu University, and will bring together over 300 Vice-Chancellors and Directors from public and private universities as well as educationists, policymakers and industry representatives to discuss the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020.
Discussions will be held on various themes such as multi-disciplinary and holistic education, skill development and employability, Indian knowledge systems, internationalisation of education, online education, quality, ranking and accreditation, according to a press statement from the Ministry of Education.
The Ministry, along with the UGC and AICTE, has introduced several policy initiatives like the academic bank of credit, multiple entry-exit, multi-disciplinarity and flexibility in higher education, regulations aimed at boosting online and open distance learning, and revising the National Curriculum Framework. While many universities have adopted these reforms, others are yet to do so. The Varanasi summit follows a similar process of consultation addressed by the Prime Minister in Dharamshala last month in which various Chief Secretaries participated.
