The Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam (ABSS) 2023 concluded with education leaders resolving to work collectively for transforming India into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Government of India delivered valedictory address as the chief guest.

 Ministers of State for Education Smt. Annpurna Devi, Dr. Subhas Sarkar and Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh also graced the occasion. The event also had the attendance of Shri K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education and Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

 The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at Bharat Mandapam jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship in Delhi. It coincided with the 3rd anniversary of National Education Policy 2020. He also released the 1st installment of funds under the PM SHRI Scheme. 6207 schools received the first installment with a total amounting to 630 crore Rupees. He also released education and skill curriculum books translated into 12 Indian languages.

 Addressing the valedictory session, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said that Shiksha Parivar is committed to implement NEP to make India a knowledge-based superpower. He urged education fraternity to convert this Mahakumbh of education into an All-India Institution. Highlighting PM-Shri School as the primary laboratory for the implementation of NEP, the Minister also asked the heads of educational institutions to make concerted efforts to strengthen the school ecosystem.

 Shri Pradhan stated that to be future-ready, one must think about skilling in Indian languages. He also said that it is the responsibility of all of us to convert NCF guidelines into textbooks. All educational and skill institutions will have to work with interest on this. He also stressed upon ensuring continuous efforts towards the capacity building of the youth and enabling effective college governance.

 Shri Pradhan informed that capacity building of teachers is a priority and from this academic year, 300 institutions including 100 from school education, 100 from higher education and 100 from skill will be developed as centres-of-excellence .

 Speaking on the occasion Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh emphasized that the event carried forward India’s honour, time, and future ready workforce. He added that this strongly conveys that our education system is a unique one which is an amalgamation of tradition, logic, and culture.

 Dr. Subhas Sarkar highlighted the significance of the National Education Policy 2020 in addressing education challenges and fulfilling aspirations. He acknowledged the dedicated efforts of Education Ministry in implementing the policy’s initiatives. He said that the event fostered the exchange of best practices to boost productivity and development.  The event also provided a platform to witness firsthand the revolutionary impact of NEP’s implementation, he added.

 Smt Annapurna Devi said that the whole world is looking at India as a place of new possibilities. She stated that discussions on the National Education Policy held by various dignitaries during this two-day event will undoubtedly be very beneficial to the education world. She emphasized on the use of mother tongue as a method of instruction in schools as a vital component of NEP 2020.

 Dr. Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Chairperson NCVET, provided a summary and way forward for the sessions focused on NCrF & APPAAR, PARAKH, Future of Work, Industry Connect & employability, and the Logistic Sector (PM Gati Shakti). Prof. V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, summarized the sessions on Digital Empowerment, Access to Quality Education & Governance, Equity & Inclusion, FLN, and Internationalization. Following him, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, NETF, presented a summation and future direction for the sessions on Academic Linkage through SCERT & DIET, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Research & Development, NIRF, and IKS.

 The 2-day event also saw the participation of academicians in the 16 thematic sessions on various themes of School Education, Higher Education and Skill Education. They were led by eminent and distinguished panelist from amongst the academicians, researchers, policy makers, regulators, industry experts / representatives, Officers of Government of India/ State & UT Governments etc.  The objective was to brainstorm and identify various approaches and methodologies to implement NEP 2020; effectively articulate the roadmap and implementation strategies, fostering knowledge exchange, discuss challenges; to provide a common platform for all stakeholders to come together and network for effective, smooth, and timely implementation of the NEP 2020; and to deliberate, and share best practices for the implementation of NEP, 2020.

The extensive deliberations ranged from themes like (i.) Access to Quality Education and Governance (Higher Education), (ii.) Research and Development, (iii.) Internationalization of Education, (iv.) Knowledge Systems, (v.) Access to Quality Education and Governance (DoSEL), (vi.)  NCrF and APAAR (Academic Account Registry), (vii.) Equitable and Inclusive Education: Issues of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), (viii.) Innovation and Entrepreneurship, (ix.) Empowering the Institutions and strengthening academic linkages through the SCERTs and DIETs (DoSEL), (x.) Creating Synergy between education and Skilling Future of Work (MSDE), (xi.) Understanding Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (DoSEL), (xii.) National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF), (xiii.) Digital Empowerment and Capacity Building, (xiv.) Capacity Building in Logistics Sector through PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, (xv.) Holistic Education through Integration of skilling, (xvi.) Industry Connect and Employability, A Roadmap to Competency Based Assessment: PARAKH (DoSEL)

 During these two days, a total of 106 significant Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed, encompassing various sectors such as higher education, school education, and skilling.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan also released following books on the ten major projects of the Central Institute for Classical Tamil (CICT):

• Definitive Editions of Ancient Tamil Works
• Translation of Ancient Tamil Works
• Historical Grammar of Tamil
• Antiquity of Tamil: An Inter-Disciplinary Research
• Synchronic And Diachronic Study of Tamil Dialects
• India As a Linguistic Area
• Digital Library for Ancient Tamil Studies
• Online Teaching of Classical Tamil
• Corpus Development for Classical Tamil Works
• Visual Episodes on Classical Tamil

The Minister also released mobile app, logo, and the slogan of ULLAS.

 An exhibition showcasing the best initiatives from the world of school and higher education and the skill ecosystem was a prominent attraction during the celebrations. The multimedia exhibition featured 200 stalls set up by institutions, organizations under the education and skill landscape, industry, and key stakeholders. Some of the exhibitors include- Indian Knowledge Systems, Idea labs, start-ups, state universities etc. Nearly 2 lakh attendees visited the exhibition over the two days, including students, youth volunteers, and participants of Yuva Sangam.