Staff Development Seminar

A Staff Development Seminar was held on May 19 & 20, 2023 on NEP: The Role of Higher Educational Institutions. The new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 seeks to revolutionize the face of Indian education to match global standards and equip the youth with the right skills and values. It is ambitious and bold in its determination to make education more comprehensive, flexible, skill-based, multidisciplinary, and holistic.

A paradigm shift in mindset is required for the implementation of NEP; one that must be a compulsion and not a choice. The purpose of this Staff Development Seminar was to identify some crucial aspects of the NEP pertaining to Higher Education Institutions in order to embrace the roadmap set for its implementation rather than be overwhelmed by it.

The resource persons engaged in a comprehensive discussion about NEP and its implementation. Fr Anthony Arackal, Chairman and Manager of Albertian Institute of Science and Technology and former president of Xavier Board of Higher Education, spoke about the implications NEP has for Higher Education Institutions, the importance and challenges of technology-oriented education, and the need for value-based Indian culture as the foundation for our educational system. Prof. Samir Kumar Das, Department of Political Science, University of Calcutta and former Vice Chancellor of North Bengal University, addressed policy shifts in higher education and the contextualisation of the curriculum and credit framework. Prof. Debashis Biswas, Inspector of Colleges, University of Calcutta, elaborated on how to engage Higher Education Institutions with their communities. Dr Manisha Madhava, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, shared her experience on implementing NEP in Higher Education Institutions from the margins.

The two-day seminar was informative, thought-provoking, and enriching for the faculty.