Edu institutions need to discharge duties towards society — Yogi

Lucknow, July 20 (PTI): Academic institutions must not just become places of distributing degrees but they should also discharge their responsibilities towards the society, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

He also set a deadline of four years to establish 5,000 ‘Abhyudaya Composite Schools’ with a target of five to six schools per block. Establishment of at least one model composite school in every district is a must, he said.

Adityanath gave the directions during a review meeting held on the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 in the state on Tuesday.

He said the state has implemented NEP-2020 at undergraduate level and it will be implemented for postgraduate courses from the next academic year. He batted for a good mix of theoretical and practical knowledge in NEP.

Pressing for use of technology, Adityanth said educational institutions must promote innovation with focus on quality. He also called on universities to promote interdisciplinary research work on local problems relevant socially and nationally.

Emphasising on quality research, he said close to 77.7 per cent of the state’s population resides in rural areas, and therefore, said educational institutions should be connected to rural areas.

Special emphasis should be laid on conducting courses related to rural development under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Scheme, he added.

The chief minister also directed the officials to conduct National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading of all eligible institutions in the state on priority. Warning teachers against missing classes, he directed them to report to work every day.