Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ delivered the inaugural address at the 16th FICCI Higher Education Summit 2021 today.The 16th edition of FICCI higher Education Summit is being organised virtually by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with Ministry of Education and Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The theme of the summit is ‘‘Higher Education @ 2030: R.I.S.E. - Resilience. Innovation. Sustainability. Enterprise.’Addressing on the occasion, Shri Pokhriyal said that National Education Policy 2020 lays out the path for transforming Indian education landscape suited to 21st century needs. He further said while the government has formulated the policy, private sector participation will play a key role in implementing the same.Shri Pokhriyal said, “Built on the foundational pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability, NEP 2020 is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and a global knowledge superpower”.
The Minister remarked that in the next 20-30 years, the energy and talent of young India will be used in advancing the world as 21st century belongs to Young India. India is poised to become the R & D capital of the world not because of the cost advantage but due to the rich and intelligent human capital that the country is bestowed with.Lauding the FICCI Higher Education Summit, Shri Pokhriyal said that over the years, the Summit has evolved into a thought leadership forum and brings together key stakeholders including, policymakers, academicians, industry and students for deliberations and knowledge sharing at both national and international levels.The Inaugural session also witnessed the release of FICCI- EY report ‘Higher Education in India: Vision 2040. The report, while defining Education 4.0 in the current context, has highlighted the significant emerging trends within the higher education sector and drawn learnings and highlighted global best practices. Dr R A Mashelkar, National Research Professor and Chancellor of Institute of Chemical Technology, Dr Vidya Yeravdekar, Chair-FICCI Higher Education Committee Mr Uday Shankar, President, FICCI and Mr Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI and other dignitaries graced the occasion.