AP Governor appreciates NEP for providing quality, affordable education

Vijayawada: AP Governor S. Abdul Nazeer said National Education Policy (NEP) – 2020 provides multidisciplinary and holistic education, promotes quality research and ensures institutional autonomy.

Addressing the valedictory session of the S.R. Gudlavalleru Engineering College Silver Jubilee Celebrations on Sunday, he underlined that NEP is based on pillars of Access, Quality, Equity, Affordability and Accountability. It addresses the current challenges of low literacy and high dropouts.

The Governor said one of the key targets of NEP is to raise Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50 per cent by 2035. In this context, he pointed out that the higher education GER in Andhra Pradesh had been 37.2 per cent, compared to the all India average of 27.3 per cent in 2020–21, as per the data of Economic Survey 2022–23.

Abdul Nazeer underlined that the AP government is committed to empowering youth by extending to them quality education and life skills, which will enable them to effectively deal with the demands and challenges of everyday life. He said the state government is focusing on aspects of accessibility, inclusiveness, quality and relevance of higher education, with special attention to the rural areas.

The Governor said NEP is expected to bring a long-lasting and positive impact on the education system and make India a global hub of skilled manpower during the Amrit Kaal – the next 25 years leading up to 100 years of India’s Independence.

He pointed out that Viksit Bharat @ 2047 represents the Indian government’s ambitious vision to transform the nation into a development country. It is the responsibility of every citizen, particularly the youth, to actively participate in the movement that will lead to economic prosperity, social advancement, environmental sustainability and effective governance.

Abdul Nazeer expressed happiness that Gudlavalleru Engineering College, established in 1998 with an initial intake of 180 students, is now educating 1,400 students. In the past 25 years, the college has produced several illustrious alumni, who have gone on to hold key positions in the central and state governments, research organisations, and reputed private and public sector organisations in India and abroad.