Analysis of Yojana Magazine: ”NEAT 3.0”

Relevance

”GS 2: Education, Government Policies & Interventions”

Introduction

• National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) is an initiative to provide the use of best-developed technological solutions in the education sector to enhance the employability of the youth on a single platform for learners’ convenience.
• These solutions use Artificial Intelligence for a personalized and customized learning experience for better learning outcomes and skill development in the niche areas.
• AICTE, MoE is acting as the facilitator in the process while ensuring that the solutions are freely available to a large number of socially and economically backward students.
• NEAT has 58 Education Technology Companies with 100 products that help to develop employable skills, capacity building, and bridge learning gaps.

Key Points

• It is a single platform to provide the best-developed ed-tech solutions and courses to students of the country.
• It is an initiative to provide the use of best-developed technological solutions in the education sector to enhance the employability of the youth on a single platform for learners’ convenience.
• Around 58 global and Indian startup ed-tech companies are onboard NEAT and are offering 100 courses & e-resources for bettering learning outcomes, developing employable skills, and overcoming learning loss.
• More than 12 lakh socially and economically disadvantaged students have received free ed-tech course coupons worth over 253 crores under NEAT 3.0.
• AICTE-prescribed technical books in regional languages as well.

How does this scheme evolve?

• The initiative was taken after a Ministry of Education review noted that learning tools developed by edtech platforms that can supplement classroom teaching need to be made more accessible.
• Accordingly, it was proposed that a portal be created where edtech platforms can be roped in to display their products after a shortlisting process.

What is the basic objective of the scheme?

• It aims to act as a bridge between edtech companies, academic institutions and students.
• The basic objective of the scheme is to make students from disadvantaged backgrounds aware of the availability of such opportunities that can help them learn new skills or polish existing ones.
• In that regard, the AICTE reached out to higher education institutes across the country, directing them to inform students about the portal and enroll them based on their needs and consent.
• The edtech platforms have been allowed to charge fees as per their policies.

Key Benefits

• NEAT will be a game-changer in bridging the digital divide, especially among the economically disadvantaged students and also in fulfilling the knowledge-based requirement of India and the world.
• 58 global and Indian start-up ed-tech companies are onboard NEAT and are offering 100 courses & e-resources for bettering learning outcomes, developing employable skills and overcoming learning loss.
• The e-content & resources and Digital frameworks like NEAT are a step in the right direction in minimising learning loss.
• Integrating NEAT with Skill India, to tap the opportunities in emerging areas of skill, will boost employability and prepare our youth for the future.
• Our diverse languages are our strength and harnessing them is key to building an innovative society. Learning in regional languages will further develop the critical thinking capacity & enable our youth to become global citizens.