[pib] NEAT Scheme

• Ministry of HRD has announced a new PPP Scheme, National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) for using technology for better learning outcomes in Higher Education.

NEAT Scheme

• MHRD proposes to launch and operationalize NEAT in early November 2019.
• The objective is to use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more personalized and customised as per the requirements of the learner.
• This requires development of technologies in Adaptive Learning to address the diversity of learners.
• There are a number of start-up companies developing this and MHRD would like to recognise such efforts and bring them under a common platform so that learners can access it easily.
• Educating the youth is a National effort and MHRD proposes to create a National Alliance with such technology developing EdTech Companies through a PPP model.

 Role of MoHRD

• MHRD would act as a facilitator to ensure that the solutions are freely available to a large number of economically backward students.
• MHRD would create and maintain a National NEAT platform that would provide one-stop access to these technological solutions.
• EdTech companies would be responsible for developing solutions and manage registration of learners through the NEAT portal. They would be free to charge fees as per their policy.
• As their contribution towards the National cause, they would have to offer free coupons to the extent of 25% of the total registrations for their solution through NEAT portal.
• MHRD would distribute the free coupons for learning to the most socially/economically backward students.

Implementation

• AICTE would be the implementing agency for NEAT programme.
• The scheme shall be administered under the guidance of an Apex Committee constituted by MHRD.
• Independent Expert Committees would be constituted for evaluating and selecting the EdTech solutions.