National Knowledge Commission: An Overview

©Asheesh Kamal

Creator and Author

LIS Cafe (Library & Information Science and Computer Applications For Educated youths)

Kamal, Asheesh (2018). A perceptual study of information processing cycle, Published on LIS Cafe website.

 

Introduction The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) was constituted on 13th June 2005. As a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, the National Knowledge Commission has been given a mandate to guide policy and direct reforms, focusing on certain key areas such as education, science and technology, agriculture, industry, e-governance etc. Easy access to knowledge, creation and preservation of knowledge systems, dissemination of knowledge and better knowledge services are core concerns of the commission. The National Knowledge Commission identified a few areas of development like Energy, Environment, Education, Biodiversity and Water with a view to collecting and disseminating knowledge in the development sector etc. They invited key organizations working in the sector of respective fields of development to create & manage the online platform. The National Knowledge Commission had organized workshops/meetings to set up a Teacher Portal which aims to become a forum for regular interaction, sharing of best practices and creating a body of knowledge that can motivate teachers to access, apply and add value to existing knowledge through their experience. The National Knowledge Commission & Azim Premji Foundation jointly conceptualized the vision of the Teacher Portal. The Portal is being managed by Azim Premji Foundation now.

About National Knowledge Commission The ability of a nation to use and create knowledge capital determines its capacity to empower and enable its citizens by increasing human capabilities. In the next few decades, India will have the largest set of young people in the world. Following a knowledge-oriented paradigm of development would enable India to leverage this demographic advantage. In the words of our Prime Minister, “The time has come to create a second wave of institution building and of excellence in the field of education, research and capability building so that we are better prepared for the 21st century.” With this broad task in mind, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) was constituted on 13th June 2005 with a time-frame of three years, from 2nd October 2005 to 2nd October 2008. As a high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, the National Knowledge Commission has been given a mandate to guide policy and direct reforms, focusing on certain key areas such as education, science and technology, agriculture, industry, e-governance etc. Easy access to knowledge, creation and preservation of knowledge systems, dissemination of knowledge and better knowledge services are core concerns of the commission.

Terms of Reference As per Government Notification of 13th June 2005, the following are the Terms of Reference of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC).        ·         Build excellence in the educational system to meet the knowledge challenges of the 21st century and increase India’s competitive advantage in fields of knowledge.        ·         Promote creation of knowledge in S&T laboratories.        ·         Improve the management of institutions engaged in intellectual property rights.        ·         Promote knowledge applications in agriculture and industry.        ·         Promote the use of knowledge capabilities in making government an effective, transparent and accountable service provider to the citizen and promote widespread sharing of knowledge to maximize public benefit.

Objectives The overarching aim of the National Knowledge Commission is to enable the development of a vibrant knowledge based society. This entails both a radical improvement in existing systems of knowledge, and creating avenues for generating new forms of knowledge. Greater participation and more equitable access to knowledge across all sections of society are of vital importance in achieving these goals. In view of the above, the NKC seeks to develop appropriate institutional frameworks to: Strengthen the education system, promote domestic research and innovation, facilitate knowledge application in sectors like health, agriculture, and industry. Leverage information and communication technologies to enhance governance and improve connectivity. Devise mechanisms for exchange and interaction between knowledge systems in the global arena.

Organization The National Knowledge Commission consists of six Members, including the Chairman. All Members perform their duties on a part-time basis and do not claim any remuneration for the same. The Members are assisted in their duties by a small Technical Support Staff headed by an Executive Director seconded to the NKC by the government. The Commission is also free to co-opt Experts to assist in the management of its tasks. The Planning Commission is the nodal agency for the NKC for planning and budgeting purposes as well as for handling Parliament related responses. The methodology followed by the NKC is as follows:        1.       Identification of key focus areas.        2.       Identification of diverse stakeholders and understanding major issues in the area.       3.  Constitution of Working Groups of experts and specialists; organization of workshops, extensive formal and informal consultations with concerned entities and stakeholders        4.       Consultation with administrative Ministries and the Planning Commission        5.       Discussion in NKC to finalize recommendations in the form of letter to the PM from the Chairman, NKC        6.       Letter to PM containing key recommendations, first steps, financial implications etc. The letter will be supported by the relevant explanatory documents.      7.  Widespread dissemination of NKC recommendations to state governments, civil society and other stakeholders, also using the NKC website        8.       Initiating the implementation of the recommendations under the aegis of the PMO.   9. Finalizing the recommendations based on stakeholder feedback and coordinating/following up the implementations of proposals

Reference:     http://knowledgecommissionarchive.nic.in      https://nationalknowledgecommission.wordpress.com     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Knowledge_Commission     www.knowledgecommission.gov.in