Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Centre’s New Education Policy stressed on building job creators instead of job seekers and emphasized that the time had come for increased focus on learning, research and innovation in the field of education.

“The 21st century is the era of knowledge. This is the time for increased focus on learning, research, innovation. This is exactly what India’s National Education Policy, 2020 does. We are focussing on the quality of education in the country. Our attempts have been to make our education system the most advanced and modern for students,” PM Modi told students at a virtual interaction.

The Prime Minister was addressing students at the Smart India Hackathon 2020 grand finale, through video conferencing. This year, around 10,000 students are participating in the hackathon. The grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2020 (Software) will be held from August 1 to 3.

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Elaborating on the Centre’s attempts to transform the content and method of imparting education in the country, PM Modi said, “The New Education Policy-2020 announced earlier this week emphasizes on inter-disciplinary study, which will ensure that the focus is on what the student wants to learn instead of being compelled to learn.”

He explained that the new education policy is about the spirit which reflects that the country’s students are gradually shifting from the burden of the school bag, which does not last beyond school, to the boon of learning which will help them for life, from simply memorizing study matter to encouraging critical thinking.

He said the role of the youth was important for the nation to achieve its target of improving the ‘ease of living’ to provide a better life for the poor and needy.

“Languages of India will develop more due to the changes brought about in the education policy. This will not only increase India’s knowledge but will also increase the unity among its people,” the Prime Minister told the students participating in the Smart India Hackathon 2020.

The hackathon is a nationwide initiative to provide students with a platform to solve some of the critical problems people face in daily lives. It is also aimed at building a culture of product innovation and a mindset of problem-solving among students pursuing higher education.