The craze for selfies among youngsters will now be part of the curriculum on institutional campuses as the Centre has prepared guidelines for universities and colleges to highlight the country’s progress. Selfie points will be established within the campus, allowing students, staff, and visitors to take selfies with achievements as background in various formats, including 3D images.
The national university regulator, University Grants Commission (UGC), has directed universities and colleges nationwide to set up selfie points at strategic locations on campuses to raise awareness among youngsters about India’s achievements in various fields. The institutions can only install selfie points following approved designs in 3D layouts shared by the Ministry of Education.
A UGC official stated that the themes for the selfie points encompass a broad spectrum of national initiatives, such as “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat,” and the major thrust areas of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“These selfie points will not only serve as a source of pride but also enlighten every citizen about the transformative initiatives that have propelled India’s growth on the global stage. Students and visitors should be encouraged to capture and share these special moments on social media platforms, fostering a sense of collective pride,” said University Grants Commission (UGC) Secretary Manish Joshi.
“There is a unique opportunity to harness the energy and enthusiasm of youngsters, molding their minds with inspiration drawn from India’s progress in diverse fields. The selfie points in these institutions will emerge as a dynamic and engaging place to instill a sense of national pride and awareness among youngsters and inspire future generations,” added the official.
The Education Ministry has been undertaking various initiatives at both secondary and higher education levels to generate patriotic, cultural, and nationalist awareness in recent years. Initiatives such as Tamil Kashi Sangam have been connecting the student community between southern and northern India. Other programs aim to bridge the gap between the northeastern states and the central and southern parts of the country as part of academic progression.
The Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors (YUVA), aligned with the vision of a Global Citizen and as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, is training young authors below 30 years to promote reading, writing, and the book culture in the country, projecting India and Indian writings globally.
Another program, the India@75 Series, documents the contributions of various personalities, the making of new dynamic cities, historic events, and other socio-cultural, political, economic ideas and themes that have shaped India into a mature, independent, strong nation post-1947.
The series focuses on imparting these ideas in a reader-friendly manner to young readers (12+) of the country, standing on four conceptual pillars: People, Places, Events, and Themes.
The publication of a set of 75 books on freedom fighters is also part of the series.
A separate project, ‘Bilingual Books,’ has produced bilingual books in various language pairs, catering to the needs of young readers. Additionally, books in Tribal Languages aim to promote all major, minor, and tribal languages of India. NBT-India is now releasing original titles in tribal languages in an innovative trilingual format.
Initiatives like Knowledge Communication Centres promote 360-degree learning for the public at large. The Indian Knowledge System Series focuses on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) in fields such as mathematics, science, astronomy, yoga, architecture, medicine, agriculture, engineering, linguistics, and sports, among others.