KOZHIKODE:
The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, conducted an awareness driven Webinar discussion on the National Education Policy 2020, here today. The virtual session coordinated by the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) Cell of IIM Kozhikode met with an overwhelming response as more than 450 enthusiastic participants were introduced and briefed on the various aspects of NEP 2020, by an expert panel of IIMK faculty members.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Education (Govt. of India) and is inspired by the vision of transformational change in rural development processes by leveraging knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an Inclusive India. IIM Kozhikode is a partner Institute for the UBA programme and has been actively playing a role in furthering the development agenda and fortifying institutional capacity and giving training relevant to national needs, especially those of rural India.
In his message prior to the commencement of the Webinar, Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director IIM Kozhikode said “IIM Kozhikode has been a pioneer in spearheading social development at community level since its inception. Programmes like Unnat Bharat Abhiyan aim to create a virtuous cycle between society and an inclusive academic system by providing knowledge and practices for emerging professions and to upgrade the capabilities of both the public and the private sectors in responding to the development needs of rural India. I am pleased to share that IIM Kozhikode will soon be launching an E-Learning hub and Library , as a pilot project, for villagers in Mavoor, one of the five villages adopted by the Institute under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan.”
The Webinar session was divided into three parts and began with an ‘Introduction to NEP 2020 and Higher Education’ conducted by Prof. Anandakuttan B Unnithan, Dean, Academic Affairs & Development, IIM Kozhikode. This was followed by a session on ‘Strategies & Tips for Setting up Virtual Learning Platform Designed for NEP 2020’ conducted by Dr. M G Sreekumar, Chief Librarian & Information Officer and Adjunct Professor, IIM Kozhikode. Prof. Ashok Thomas, Assistant Professor, IIM Kozhikode concluded the session with his insights on ‘School Education and NEP 2020’. The three experts also responded to various queries and doubts regarding the implementation of NEP 2020 fielded by the virtual audience during the Q& A round of the session.
Earlier Prof. Anubha Shekhar Sinha, Coordinator, UBA Cell, IIM, Kozhikode welcomed the key note speakers and shared that IIM Kozhikode has adopted five villages viz—Mavoor, Kuttikkattoor, Narikkuni, Puthur and Puthuppadi of Kozhikode district under the UBA initiative of Ministry of Education. She also added that the baseline socio-economic survey and focus group discussions (FGD) are being carried out with the involvement of faculties and PGP students of IIMK, to prepare the Village Development Plan (VDP) for each village. The intervention activities will be brought in action based on the VDP.
The Webinar witnessed participation from a diverse set of stakeholders – students, faculty members, district and Gram Panchayat members, educators, public servants, research scholars, library professionals, administrators and educationists – from the neighboring community and schools around Kozhikode. Members from organizations and institutes such as IIM Banglore, IIM Kozhikode, IIT Palakkad, Central University of Kerala, Pondichery University, IIT ISM Dhanbad, Bharatidasan University, NIMHANS, PGIMER, Kerala University, Calicut University, MG University Kottayam, Farook College, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, BCM Kottayam, MES College also participated in this virtual meet.
