Question : Webinar on Harnessing Education, Research and Skill Development

a) whether the Government has organised a webinar on ‘Harnessing Education, Research and Skill Development for an Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in the recent past;
b) if so, the details thereof along with the details of participant Ministries/ Departments in the said Webinar;
c) whether the Government proposes to set up a National Research Foundation;
d) if so, the details thereof along with the funds earmarked for the purpose and the extent to which this initiative will strengthen the governance structure of the research related institutions and will improve linkages between R&D, academia and industry in the country;
e) whether the Government also proposes to promote more and more use of local languages in education, research and skill development under the new National Education Policy; and
f) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF EDUCATION

(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) to (f): A statement is laid on the table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (f) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 81 FOR 26-07-2021 ASKED BY SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO AND SHRI RAVI KISHAN, HON’BLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING WEBINAR ON HARNESSING EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT.
(a): Yes, Sir.
(b): A Webinar was held on 3-03-2021 on the subject ‘Harnessing Education, Research and Skill Development for an Atmanirbhar Bharat’ to bring together all Ministries/Departments concerned with the education sector to brainstorm on way for fast and co-ordinated effort for implementation of budget announcements for the FY 2021-22. Department of Higher Education, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Department of Biotechnology, Department of Space, Department of Defence Research and Development and Ministry of Earth Science participated in the webinar. In addition, industry representatives and sectoral experts also participated in the webinar. The Webinar was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
There were 6 parallel sessions in the webinar on the themes (i) Promoting Research and Innovation in a Multidisciplinary Environment, (ii) Using Glue Grant To Develop Education Hubs, (iii) Deep Ocean Mission, (iv) Making India Skill Capital Of The World, (v) Reinvigorating Human Capital through Excellence in Education and Multilingualism and (vi) Augmenting Learning Through Digital Education.
(c): Yes, Sir.
(d): The total outlay of National Research Foundation (NRF) is `50,000 crore over a period of five years. It ensures that the overall research ecosystem of the country is strengthened with focus on identified national-priority thrust areas. Of the `50,000 crore, `10,000 crore will be through additional earmarked allocation to the NRF over 5 years. The remainder will come from joint research programmes with ministries, states and other partners, including the industry in a mutually agreed manner.
One of the main objectives of NRF is to seed, grow and facilitate research at academic institutions, particularly at universities and colleges, where research capacity is currently in a
nascent stage. It will also fund and support high-impact, large-scale, multi-investigator, multi-institution and, in some cases, interdisciplinary or multi-nation projects in collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments, and other Governmental and non-Governmental entities, especially industry.
(e) & (f): Yes, Sir. The Government has announced National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP) on 29-07-2020 after 34 years which envisages to promote more and more use of regional languages in education. In this regard, Government has taken a number of steps including:
i. NEET which was being conducted in 11 languages will now be conducted in 13 languages.
ii. JEE (Main) which was being conducted in 3 languages will now be conducted in 13 languages.
iii. Imparting technical education in certain AICTE approved technical institutions in 8 Regional languages from the academic session 2021-2022 on pilot basis.
iv. Translation of reference materials for courses of engineering in regional languages under SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) Government’s own Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform, which has been offering online courses in disciplines such as Science, Engineering & Technology, Humanities & Social Sciences, Law, Management etc.
v. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Approval Process Handbook (APH) 2021-22 permitting institutes to apply for running programs in regional languages.
vi. AICTE has developed a tool called “AICTE Translation Automation Artificial Intelligence Tool” to translate English language online courses into eleven different languages like Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Assamese & Odia for access to a more significant number of students in the rural area.
vii. MOU has been concluded between the Govt of Haryana and AICTE towards publishing of 1,000 books in Hindi.
viii. Student Induction Program (SIP) of three-weeks is now a mandatory part of curriculum for students of first year in engineering. AICTE has initiated steps for the conduct of 21-days induction program for students in regional language. AICTE has also commenced the translation of study material and manual in regional languages for the benefit of students and faculty.
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