Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 2 (ANI): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday said that the two-day national workshop on the National Education Policy (NEP) will focus on discussions around new and emerging areas in education, which will later help in preparing a roadmap for the future.

Speaking at the inauguration of the workshop in Bhubaneswar, the Chief Minister said that NEP 2020 has been implemented in Odisha with the broader objective of making India a 'knowledge capital'.

He noted that the policy was implemented in the state five years after it was introduced at the national level, following the formation of the present government.

'The two-day national workshop on the National Education Policy was inaugurated today in Bhubaneswar. Through this, discussions will take place on new and emerging topics. After the discussions, a roadmap will be prepared. The new education policy has been implemented based on our goal of making India a knowledge capital... NEP 2020 was implemented in Odisha five years later, after our government came to power. With the cooperation of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the Central Government, we implemented it and, by accelerating its pace, we are holding this program here today. The biggest benefit of the National Education Policy is that it provides for education in one's mother tongue', he told reporters here.

Earlier, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, inaugurated a two-day workshop on the implementation and execution of the 'National Education Policy-2020' and launched the Shakti Shree Mobile App at the Convention Hall of Lok Seva Bhavan on Saturday.

The event, which aims to strengthen higher education reforms in the state and align institutions with the vision and objectives of the NEP-2020, witnessed the participation of eminent educationists from across the country.

During the event, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan declared that Odisha's educational institutions should become an ideal model for the entire country through autonomy, innovation, and research.

'Odisha's educational institutions should not remain confined merely to providing traditional education but should become an ideal model for the entire country through autonomy, innovation, and research. Based on the National Education Policy, universities should initiate such 'best practices' that will not only address local problems but also emerge as a national model in building a developed India,' said Pradhan.

The Education Minister further declared that prioritisation of the Odia language and dissemination of knowledge based on Indian languages will be the core objective of the education policy.

'Under the respected leadership of Prime Minister @narendramodi, prioritizing our mother tongue Odia to free ourselves from the colonial mindset and disseminating knowledge based on Indian languages will be the core objective of our education policy, through which respect for one's own language and traditions will increase. Drawing inspiration from the Shri Jagannath culture, we must internalize Odia self-respect along with global responsibility and the essence of nationalism within the education system,' said Pradhan.

Pradhan further mentioned that Odisha must leverage modern technology and the digital medium to increase enrollment in higher education within the state.'As India prepares to assume global leadership as a 'knowledge-based society' today, we must leverage modern technology and digital mediums to increase enrollment in higher education in Odisha. Emphasizing internationalization, we will need to prepare foreign language education and contemporary curricula, through which Odisha's youth can empower and skill themselves to compete at the global level,' said Pradhan. (ANI)