NEP will nurture the young generation's talent: Ram Nath Kovind

Thiruvananthapuram: President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday said the task of the government while promoting education is to help create the right environment in which the "young minds will be fired with creativity".

"The National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 is a well-planned roadmap to develop an eco-system that will nurture the talent of our young generation. The NEP aims to prepare them for the world of tomorrow, while also equipping them with the best of our own traditions," said Kovind.

The President said this while speaking at the 5th convocation of the Central University of Kerala at Kasargode, located about 500 km from the state capital.

He went on to add that he has had the occasion to discuss the implementation of the NEP with vice-chancellors of central universities and directors of other educational institutions.

"The consensus is that this reorientation of our educational policy was long needed, and that it has the potential to turn India into a hub of knowledge. I believe that the most outstanding feature of the NEP is that it aims to promote both inclusion and excellence. Through its varied curricula, NEP promotes liberal as well as professional education, because each stream of knowledge has a role to play in society and in nation-building," said the President.

He further added the NEP can become instrumental for India to harness and reap the demographic dividend.

"When the younger generation is provided with skills and knowledge required for success in the world of the 21st century, they can do miracles. The 21st century is described as knowledge century. Knowledge power will determine the place of a nation in the global community," added Kovind.

Shifting to Kerala, he said the state being a leading one in the area of learning and education, the Central government has recommended names of three cities from the entire country for being listed in Unesco's Global Network of Learning.

"Out of them two cities are from Kerala. These two cities are Thrissur and Nilambur. Being part of this Global Network supports the achievement of the sustainable development goals, especially the goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting life-long learning opportunities for all," said Kovind.

Earlier on Tuesday, the President arrived at the Kannur airport for a three-day trip to Kerala. He was received by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan among others.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was absent as he is presently undergoing his routine medical check up at a leading hospital at Chennai.

Kovind is expected to attend a function at the Kochi Naval base on Wednesday, and after that he will reach the state capital.

On Thursday, he is scheduled to take part at a programme in the state capital and will return to Delhi on Thursday.