The State government is committed to implementation of the National Education Policy-2020 in letter and spirit, and the several reforms initiated in the higher education sector are aimed at achieving the goal, Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan has said.
Addressing the third conference of the Vice-Chancellors of the State Universities at Raj Bhavan here on Thursday, Mr. Harichandan said that NEP-2020 aimed at creating an equitable and egalitarian society by promoting development of the nation and universal accessibility, with a focus on quality education.
Key changes
He said the policy envisioned certain key changes in the current higher education system, such as moving towards multi-disciplinary education system, faculty and institutional autonomy, revamping of the curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and student support, reaffirming the integrity of faculty and institutional leadership.
Mr. Harichandan said the curriculum of both engineering and the conventional degree programmes was being re-designed in line with the NEP, and added that establishment of a State Research Board to develop research ecosystem and to promote qualitative research in universities and colleges was a step in the right direction.
“Andhra Pradesh is the first State in the country to introduce the 4-year-degree programme with research being a part of the course from the academic year 2020-21,” he said.
The Governor, in the capacity of the Chancellor of the State Universities, asked the Vice-Chancellors to devise strategies to develop high quality research ecosystem and explore the possibilities to collaborate with industry and research institutes of national and international repute, and for building research infrastructure.
The Vice-Chancellors of the 23 State Universities who attended the conference made a presentation on the developmental activities of their respective institutions and spoke about their future plans.
Special Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Marketing, Poonam Malakondaiah; Special Chief Secretary to the Governor R.P. Sisodia; Principal Secretary, Department of Higher Education, J. Syamala Rao; Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) K. Hemachandra Reddy; Vice-Chairman K. Rama Mohana Rao; and Secretary B. Sudheer Prem Kumar were present.
