Union Cabinet Minister for Education, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal stresses on the need to “Stay in India” during virtual townhall
New Delhi: Touching upon the need to not only attract the best global talent through the “Study in India” initiative, Union Cabinet Minister for Education, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal strongly expressed the necessity to attract and retain top indigenous talent to “Stay in India”. Joining Dr. Pokhriyal and echoing his sentiments was Shri Suresh Prabhu, India’s Sherpa to the G20 and Founding Chancellor, Rishihood University, during a virtual town hall in association with the Confederation for Indian Industries (CII).
Dr. Pokhriyal elaborated that post launch of the recent NEP 2020, India is poised to become a global knowledge hub, inviting top international institutions to collaborate and set up campuses in India. With over 7- 8 lakh students opting to study abroad, spending approximately INR 1- 1.5 lakh crore on foreign institutions, indigenous universities have a massive untapped opportunity to retain and cultivate the youth, catalysing a new wave of development.
Mr. Prabhu also shared some insightful thoughts on the need to develop ideals incorporating an enhanced sense of the human values, patriotism and social cohesion. He also stressed upon the “invaluable role teachers play in development of society”, stating the need for the modern revival and adaptation of the unique Guru Shishya relationship. Other interesting talk points included provisions in the NEP to focus on military education, in order instil a sense of national pride and discipline.
Commenting on the side-lines, Sahil Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO, Rishihood University, said, “We are truly honoured to have Dr. Pokhriyal grace the occasion. Focus on new age courses, trans-disciplinary study, digital integration, credit transfers, amongst other landmark reforms are today a necessity to tackle increasingly complex demands. A multitude of issues have been meticulously addressed in the NEP 2020, endorsed across the board by government, academic and industry experts, as progressive and reformist. We salute Dr. Pokhriyal for his visionary outlook and hope to work with him more closely”
With a vision to foster scalable development, Rishihood University has supported a multitude of initiatives, such as Tech4Heritage, Researcher’s Home, Rashtram School of Public Leadership, amongst others, focusing on nation building and creation of a viable social impact ecosystem. Dr. Pokhriyal congratulated the university leadership on the work initiated and wished them success for future endeavours.