Implementation of the National Education Policy and revision of school curriculum were among the key issues discussed at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's annual conclave held to discuss academic policies in New Delhi on Wednesday. The two-day conclave, called Shiksha Samooh, was attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other RSS affiliates. The impact of pandemic-induced disruption in education also came up during the discussions, sources familiar with the meeting said. "The issue of setting up the long-awaited National Research Foundation was also discussed. It is envisaged in the NEP as well and once notified it will be the apex body of funding research in areas from science to humanities," the source said. In the 2021-22 annual budget, the Centre had earmarked Rs 50,000 crore for the proposed body over a period of five years. At the meeting, RSS representatives also made a pitch for establishing the Higher Education Commission, which - if established - will subsume existing regulators such as the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
