Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday launched the National Education Policy - 2020 in higher education in Uttarakhand for the academic session 2022-23. Uttarakhand was the first state in the country to launch the new education policy in primary education with Bal Vikas. “Uttarakhand is the land of scholars. Many new ideas will come from the state for the better implementation of the new education policy,” Pradhan said at the launch. Efforts will have to be made to ensure that 100 percent of children join Bal Vikas, he said. The new education policy has been prepared to keep in mind all aspects of human life, Pradhan said. Apart from education, attention has been given to the new policy to skill development and personality development of the children, and inculcating in them moral values, he said. Education is directly related to self-reliance, he said. 

Under the new education policy formal education of children in Bal Vatikas will start at the age of three and by the time they enter Class 1 they will be six years old. “We need to start with a target of giving quality education to 40 lakh children in Uttarakhand from infancy to the age of 21-22 years under the new policy,” the Union Minister said. 

Dhami said, “effective steps” have been taken in a phased manner by the state higher education department for the implementation of the new education policy. “The new national education policy prepared under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation of a new, strong and self-reliant India,” Dhami said.