Observing that the biggest injustice to any student is when he/she is judged on the basis of language and not capabilities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for creating an energetic new generation in the next 25 years of ‘Amrit Kaal,’ which is free from the mentality of slavery, eager for innovations and ready to bring laurels in fields from science to sports.

”The new generation must be willing to skill itself as per the needs of the 21st century … It should be filled with a sense of duty. The National Education Policy (NEP) will play a big role in this,” he said, inaugurating the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam, which coincided with the third anniversary of NEP.

“Education in the mother tongue is initiating a new form of justice for the students in India. It is also a very significant step towards social justice,” the PM remarked.

Noting the multitude of languages in the world and their importance, he underlined that many developed nations have got an edge owing to their local language. Giving the example of Europe, he said that most countries make use of their own native languages.

The PM lamented that even though India has an array of established languages, they were presented as a sign of backwardness, and those who could not speak English were neglected and their talents were not recognised.

“As a result, he said, the children of the rural areas remain most affected. He emphasised that the country has now begun to shun this belief with the advent of the NEP. “Even at the UN, I speak in the Indian language,” he added.

The PM underlined that subjects ranging from social science to engineering will now be taught in Indian languages.

“When the students are confident in a language, their skills and talent will emerge without any restrictions,” he said. He also pointed out that those who try to politicise language for their own selfish interests will now have to shut their shops. “The NEP will give due respect and credit to every language in the country,” he said.

He underlined the primacy of education among the factors that can change the destiny of the nation. “Our education system has a huge role in achieving the goals with which 21st century India is moving,” he said.

He touched upon the transforming face of education and schooling in the country where small children are learning via playful experiences and expressed optimism for the same. He also urged the guests to explore the exhibition.

The PM said that epoch-making changes take some time. Recalling the vast canvas to be covered at the time of the inauguration of the NEP, he praised the dedication and willingness to embrace new concepts of all the stakeholders.

He said that in the NEP traditional knowledge and futuristic technologies have been given the same importance. He also mentioned the hard work of the stakeholders from the world of education for the new curriculum in primary education, books in regional languages, for higher education and for strengthening the research ecosystem in the country.

He said students now understand that in place of the 10+2 system now the 5+3+3+4 system is in operation. Education will begin at the age of 3 bringing uniformity in the entire country. He also informed that the Union Cabinet has approved the introduction of the National Research Foundation Bill in Parliament.

The National Curriculum Framework under the NEP will come soon. The framework for 3-8 years old students is ready. The entire country will have a uniform syllabus and NCERT is preparing new course books for this.

The PM informed that new books of about 130 various subjects are coming up for classes 3 to 12 in 22 different languages as a result of education being imparted in regional languages. He underlined that subjects ranging from social science to engineering will now be taught in Indian languages.

“When the students are confident in a language, their skills and talent will emerge without any restrictions,” he said. He also pointed out that those who try to politicise language for their own selfish interests will now have to shut their shops. “National Educational Policy will give due respect and credit to every language in the country,” he said.