The conference was attended by education leaders, policymakers and industry experts. The platform served as an arena for in-depth conversations about critical aspects of higher education including technological integration, preservation of indigenous knowledge systems and linguistic inclusivity. 

The panellists included Avinash Chandra Pandey from IUAC, New Delhi; Rakesh Ranjan from Sushant University Gurugram; US Pandey from Delhi University; Manoj K Jha from the Vitti Research Foundation and Paramjit S Jaswal from SRM University, Delhi NCR, Sonipat. 

Whilst most panellists seemed to be in support of the NEP emphasising the importance of change to keep up with the times.

However, Jaswal pointed out wide gaps in its implementation and the lack of support and infrastructure provided from the government’s end. He addressed how students are often poisoned at mid-day meals provided in schools. 

Talking about the lack of teachers in higher education, he added, “A total of 6,000 vacancies exist in Central Government universities.”

Ranjan spoke of the lack of a strong base formed during one’s primary education creates mounting pressure on higher education institutions to make students employable and integrate within them a skillset. 

The event concluded with an open session facilitating direct interaction between the speakers and the audience. The session proved to be fairly enriching with attendees raising pertinent questions and receiving expert insights from the panel. 

In his closing remarks, Saurabh Mittal, the CFO of the S Chand Group drew attention to the company’s commitment to enhance the quality of education in India. “As we stand at the cusp of a new era in Indian education, S Chand is dedicated to playing a pivotal role in creating innovative, accessible and transformative education content. Our continued collaboration with academic leaders and policymakers will be key to realising the vision underscored in NEP 2020.”