NEP is not appreciated as most people have not read it, says Governor

He suggests TNOU could constitute a cell to implement aspects of the policy

Notwithstanding the Tamil Nadu government’s continued opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), Governor R.N. Ravi backed the policy on Monday, hailing it as a comprehensive document that opened new vistas in the education sector. According to him, the value and the worth of the policy was not being fully appreciated as many people had not read it fully.

Delivering the presidential address at the 13th convocation of the Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) in Chennai, he said most of the people he had interacted with had only read the opinion articles about the NEP in the media, and not the policy itself.

He brought up NEP in his speech while referring to a couple of appeals made to him by Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy during the latter’s address earlier at the convocation.

“Certain suggestions were made by the Pro Chancellor [Mr. Ponmudy] in his speech about advising UGC [University Grants Commission] for certain things. I would suggest [that you] kindly go through the NEP. You see the vast vistas it opens,” Mr. Ravi said.

Welcoming a suggestion made by IIT-Madras Director V. Kamakoti to TNOU to provide opportunities for those who had discontinued their college education to finish their degrees, Mr. Ponmudy appealed to the Governor to recommend to the UGC that such opportunities be provided to college dropouts.

He also appealed to the Governor to make a recommendation to the UGC that Annamalai University be allowed to continue offering distance education courses.