Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday said the New Education Policy (NEP) will give a big push to quality and value-based education in the country.?

The minister for environment, forests and climate change said education should not only be for cracking competitive examinations, but also for developing philosophical values, rational thinking and spiritual capabilities among students.?

“Rising cases of suicides in coaching institutions like those in Kota has been a major concern,” he said at the inauguration of a new building complex for Yogoda Satsanga School here.?Coaching institutes should not become suicide factories, but help prepare students to face future challenges, Yadav said.?

“We have developed the NEP the way Paramahansa Yogadananda Maharaj had conceptualised. The policy focuses on development of Indian indigenous languages besides emphasising on practicality,” he said.?

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was also invited for the event, did turn up citing health reasons, an office-bearer of the ashram said.?Yogoda Satsanga School and the auditorium-cum-multipurpose hall were built in Ranchi’s Dhurwa with a Rs 8-crore grant from the Centre. The school aims to provide quality education to students from economically weaker sections.