Institutions that are 'deemed-to-be-university' enjoy the academic status and privileges of a university.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted the status of deemed university, the Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan announced.
He made the announcement at an event to mark the 63rd foundation day of NCERT in the national capital.
The Council has established a formidable presence in research, actively shaped school education, teacher training, and adult literacy. The Council, on becoming a research university, will offer opportunities for global collaborations and contributions to the global educational landscape, he added.
He also added that Jadui Pitara — a play-based learning-teaching material tailored for children between the age group of 3-8 years developed by NCERT — will come up as an instrument of change that will benefit 10 crore children of the country, he stressed.
During his address, he also emphasised on developing content in mother tongue. For this, he suggested setting up Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence labs in all seven regional centres of NCERT. To make India the global hub of research and innovation these centres should be equipped with the latest technologies from around the world with future-ready infrastructure, he added. He also urged the Council to standardise the teachers’ training curriculum to NCERT in its ECCE.
Keeping in mind the ‘Industrial revolution 4.0’, Pradhan suggested to develop small booklets on varied subjects that will provide the facts on the subjects such as India’s Covid-19 management, Chandrayaan 3, etc. “The new generations must be taught of the latest developments as well as Indian values and ethos,” he said.
During the event, the students of the Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal, also presented a skit on Jadui Pitara along with song performed in 22 languages. A short film was showcased during the function that highlighted several significant initiatives and achievements of the Council.
Pradhan also inaugurated a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laboratory of the CIET on the occasion.