Delhi schools' NEEEV initiative promotes innovation, entrepreneurship: Education minister Sood

NEW DELHI: Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Monday said the government's NEEEV initiative aims to equip students with problem-solving, critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, while urging them to become "job creators, not job seekers".

Addressing the District Innovation Council (DIC) Competition for South District at CM Shri School in Nanakpura, Sood said early entrepreneurship, continuous innovation and self-reliance were essential for building a stronger nation.

He encouraged students to adopt a growth mindset, address real-world challenges and treat failures as learning opportunities while developing solutions that create value for society. Sood said the Delhi government was committed to creating an ecosystem where students learn innovation and risk-taking from their school days.

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Education minister interacts with students

The minister interacted with participating teams and appreciated several student prototypes, including a smart waste segregation dustbin, an automated medicine reminder system for senior citizens and a street safety drone system developed by students of Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Deoli.

The event also saw industry participation, with entrepreneur Meetu Puri announcing an on-the-spot investment of Rs 50,000 in "Eco Blez Tech", a skincare application developed by students of Government Co-ed Senior Secondary School. Ravi Sinha, Director of MSME, assured students of government support to help transform school-level innovations into business ventures. Sapna Yadav, Chairperson of NEEEV, said the initiative aligns with the objectives of NEP 2020 by promoting innovation, critical thinking and entrepreneurial competencies among students.

The competition brought together top student teams who qualified through the Startup Stormers Zonal Competitions. Projects were evaluated on originality, social impact, business feasibility, teamwork and presentation skills, the statement stated.