NEP a progressive step: Akshay Munjal, president, BML Munjal University

Akshay Munjal, the president of BML Munjal University (BMU), Delhi NCR, says that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has been long-awaited and is a progressive step in the right direction. “The NEP proposes enormous changes and rebuilding of our education ecosystem, particularly higher education, with digital learning, employability and skills training through a multidisciplinary methodology, professional training and flexible learning programmes,” he says.

However, like all policies, even the NEP needs to be implemented properly for it to succeed. “While the NEP obviously expresses our desires for the nation’s education system, the key to success will be its implementation in both letter and spirit,” adds Munjal.

This policy, in a way, also furthers the BMU’s vision to be a world-class inter- and cross-disciplinary university. The BMU had recently announced the addition of two new undergraduate degree courses to its academic portfolio: BCom (Hons) and BA (Hons) Economics; the BMU already offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in BTech, Law, BBA, MBA, PhD, as well as executive education.

Munjal says one of the aims of the BMU is to incorporate creative thinking and design in education. “We offer this through our experiential learning environment that nurtures the spirit of inquiry, creativity, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and innovation,” adds Munjal.

Recently, the BMU School of Law, and Vahura, a legal consulting firm, released the survey called ‘Decoding the Next-Gen Legal Professional’, which noted that for lawyers a top skill required in the near future would be one of anticipating client needs (81%), followed by tech proficiency (74%), commercial awareness (71%) and time management (57%).

The survey brings to the fore that the legal profession is in the midst of significant transformation. Its findings showcase how lawyers see the practice of law changing in India over the next decade. A whopping 90% of all respondents in the survey noted that the proliferation of digital and technology will be the most significant change that the sector will witness. Among other significant changes that the sector will witness, 64% of respondents cited increased competitiveness among law firms, while 49% cited the growth in in-house legal resources by companies.