Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India] : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Varanasi to participate in the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, on Thursday interacted with school children and encouraged them to develop their talents.Prime Minister listened to the bhajans performed by the children. He also sang bhajan with the children. Children beat drums, recited poems and performed yoga. Prime Minister hailed the talents of the children.He asked the children, "Aap sab lok safai karte hain? Haat dhote hain? Exercise kartein hain?" The children responded, "yes sir". PM Modi then encouraged them and said, "Sabash! bahaut bahaut badhai. Aap log ke paas alag alag talent hai. Badi pratibha wale log hain aap log."
Prime Minister inaugurated the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam in Varanasi today, organised by the Ministry of Education in association with University Grants Commission (UGC) and Banaras Hindu University.
Emphasizing on skill development and practical-based learning, Prime Minister on Thursday said the foundational aim behind the National Education Policy is to bring education out from the limits of narrow thought-process and to integrate it with the modern ideas of the 21st century.
Speaking at the occasion, PM Modi said, "In the new policy, the entire focus is on making children skilled according to their talents and choices. Our youth should be skilled, confident, practical and calculative. Education policy is preparing the ground for this. The foundational aim behind the National Education Policy is to bring education out from the limits of narrow thought-process and to integrate it with the modern ideas of the 21st century."
"We just do not have to prepare youth with degrees, it is imperative, that along with it, our education policy also contributes to the nation while preparing significant human resources needed to take the country forward," he stated.
He said in areas like space technology, where earlier only the government used to do everything, now a new world is being created for the youth through private players.
PM Modi emphasised that the National Education Policy is now opening the way for studies in the mother tongue. Consequently, ancient Indian languages like Sanskrit are also being carried forward.
"For the new National Education Policy, work has also been done on a major infrastructure overhaul in the education sector of the country. Today a large number of new colleges are opening in the country, new universities are opening, new IITs and IIMs are being established. Not only did we recover so fast from such a big epidemic of COVID, but today India is one of the fastest-growing large economies of the world. Today we are the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world," he added.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were also present on the occasion. ANI