Northeast education conclave proposes special package for NEP 2020 implementation » MokokchungTimes.com

Resolutions call for region-specific strategies to address connectivity, infrastructure and teacher gaps

The Education Conclave 2026 held in Chumoukedima has proposed a dedicated Prime Minister’s Special Financial Package for the Northeastern states to support implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, citing the region’s distinct geographical, infrastructural and socioeconomic challenges.

The proposal was among the key outcomes of the two-day Education Conclave 2026 held on September 18 and 19 under the theme, “Implementation of NEP 2020: Vision, Challenges and Opportunities for the North Eastern States”.

The proposed package is intended to support connectivity, digital infrastructure, laboratories, libraries, hostels, teacher training and skill-development facilities across the region. The conclave said targeted funding would help address implementation constraints in urban, rural, remote and border areas.

The deliberations also called for a region-specific approach to implementing NEP 2020, with participants noting that the linguistic, cultural and geographical diversity of the Northeast requires approaches suited to local conditions.

Under school education, the conclave identified difficult terrain, infrastructure gaps, unequal digital connectivity and shortages of special educators as continuing challenges to equitable access to education.

It called on states to strengthen systems that assess not only whether NEP programmes have been implemented but also whether they are producing measurable improvements in classroom practice and student learning.

The conclave also highlighted concerns over teacher capacity, saying professional development needs to be continuous, relevant to subjects and stages of education, linked to classroom practice and accessible to teachers across government, private and unaided schools.

On language and curriculum, the resolutions proposed context-specific multilingual strategies, including planned transitions between languages of instruction. Greater use of local environments, indigenous knowledge and community resources in curriculum and teaching-learning materials was also recommended.

A proposal was also made to establish a North-East Knowledge System to document and promote the region’s indigenous knowledge and practices. The proposed system could cover traditional agriculture, ecological knowledge, medicine, cuisines, crafts, architecture, languages, oral traditions, performing arts and community-based knowledge.

The conclave proposed collaboration among universities, colleges, research institutions, indigenous communities and government agencies for documentation, curriculum development, research and innovation in these areas.

In higher education, the conclave called for greater opportunities for vertical academic mobility and recommended that colleges be encouraged to introduce more postgraduate programmes, including suitable one-year postgraduate programmes where academically and regulatorily appropriate.

It also proposed strengthening and establishing State Public Universities in the Northeastern states to expand access to higher education and develop institutions responsive to the region’s economic, cultural and ecological priorities.

The resolutions called for an annual North-East Education Conclave or Review Meeting to monitor NEP 2020 implementation, share practices and review emerging challenges. The proposed mechanism would include clearly defined action points, responsibilities and timelines, followed by periodic monitoring.

In technical education, the conclave called for periodic allocation of resources by the Centre and state governments for infrastructure, laboratories, equipment and technical expertise. It also highlighted the absence of government-funded internship programmes for students as a concern.

With most Northeastern states, except Assam, having a relatively limited industrial base, the technical education panel proposed greater engagement with private industries and public sector undertakings in eastern India for student training, exposure and recruitment.

It also called for timely recruitment of teaching faculty and laboratory staff according to institutional requirements.

Connectivity emerged as another major concern. The technical education resolutions called for improved physical and digital connectivity across the Northeast and greater coordination among departments and service providers dealing with power, roads, transportation and telecommunications.

The conclave further proposed the formation of an implementation committee to coordinate initiatives related to NEP 2020 and suggested a forum of education ministers of Northeastern states to take up issues relating to technical education with the Centre.

The resolutions also proposed developing a chain of start-up opportunities from school to polytechnic and degree levels.

On the growing use of artificial intelligence in education, the technical education panel called for defined guidelines or legislation governing the use of AI in teaching, assessment and student activities, citing concerns over its misuse and overuse in academic settings.

The conclave’s school education deliberations also called for stronger links between vocational education and further education, certification, employment and entrepreneurship. It recommended connecting school-level vocational exposure with ITIs, polytechnics, higher education institutions, internships and locally relevant livelihoods.

The conclave said the overall direction of the deliberations was a shift from programme coverage to verified learning outcomes, from training attendance to improved classroom practice, from uniform implementation to context-responsive solutions, from vocational exposure to viable progression pathways, and from isolated initiatives to system-wide improvement.

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