On 29th July, 2020, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
was announced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (soon to be called
the Ministry of Education).
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 will replace the
National Policy on Education, 1986.
The NEP 2020 sets for itself the goal of transforming the
system to meet the needs of 21st Century India.
According to Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare, “There
are over 100 action points from the Policy. Implementation will be done in
phases, based on time, region and types of institutions with Institutes of
Eminence (IoEs) and Central Universities taking the lead”.
The NEP 2020 is the first omnibus policy, a 34-year gap,
after the one issued in 1986, and it has to contend with multiple crises in the
system.
The policy is meant to transform the education system by 2040.
Key proposals of NEP 2020
For School Education :
The NEP proposes to change the school curricular structure
from the current 10+2 (Class 1-10 of general education followed by two years of
higher secondary school with specialised subjects) with a 5+3+3+4 structure,
like -
(i) five years of
foundational stage (for ages 3 to 8);
(ii) three years of preparatory stage (for ages 8 to 11 or
classes three to five);
(iii) three years of middle stage (for ages 11 to 14 or
classes six to eight), and
(iv) four years of secondary stage (for ages 14 to 18 or
classes 9 to 12).
A mission for foundational literacy and numeracy, free
breakfasts being added to free lunches in government schools, vocational
education along with internships from Class 6, and proposed redesign of the
board examinations are some other major initiatives for school education.
The new policy seeks rectification of poor literacy and
numeracy outcomes associated with primary schools, reduction in dropout levels
in middle and secondary schools and adoption of the multi-disciplinary approach
in the higher education system.
Curriculum load in each subject should be reduced to its
essential core content to allow for critical thinking, discussion and analysis
based learning.
A new and comprehensive national curricular framework for
school education will be undertaken by NCERT in accordance with these
principles. This framework can be
revisited every five to ten years.
A 10-day bagless period sometime during Grades 6-8 to intern
with local vocational experts such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, artists,
etc. Vocational courses through online mode will also be made available.
For Higher Education:
A new umbrella regulator has been proposed with separate
verticals for regulation, standard setting, accreditation and funding.
It will absorb arts and science, technical and teacher
education into its fold, replacing several existing regulatory bodies.
The NEP aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in
higher education to 50% by 2035 (GER was 26.3% in 2018).
All higher education institutions (HEIs) will be restructured
into three categories:
(i) Research universities focusing equally on research and
teaching;
(ii) Teaching universities focusing primarily on teaching,
and
(iii) Degree granting colleges primarily focused on
undergraduate teaching.
By 2030, there should be one multidisciplinary HEI in, or
near every district.
For students, the biggest change may be the introduction of
four-year undergraduate degrees, with more flexible and multiple exit options
with appropriate certification, a credit transfer system, and the abolition of
the M Phil programme.
Foreign Universities from among the top 100 in the world will
be allowed to set up campuses in India.
This will lead to an infusion of international perspective and innovation, which will make the Indian education system more efficient and competitive.
Significance of NEP 2020:
In adopting a 5+3+3+4 model for school education starting at age 3, the policy recognises the primacy of the formative years from ages 3 to 8 in shaping the child’s future.
The NEP 2020 proposes the extension of the Right to Education (RTE) to all children up to the age of 18.
Another key aspect of school education in the new policy is the breaking of the strict division of arts, commerce and science streams in high school.
Bag-less days will be encouraged throughout the year for various types of enrichment activities involving arts, quizzes, sports, and vocational crafts.
The NEP 2020 aims to ensure that at-least 50% of learners in school and higher education should be exposed to vocational education by 2025.
Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core essentials, and make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning.
It emphasises on making mother tongue, local language or the regional language the medium of instruction at least till Grade 5, which is considered the best medium of teaching.
Some Issues Related to NEP 2020
There is a persistent mismatch between the knowledge & skills imparted and the jobs available. This has been one of the main challenges that have affected the Indian education system since Independence.
In a federal system, any educational reform can be implemented only with support from the States, and the Centre has the giant task of building a consensus on the many ambitious plans. The policy, inter alia, aims to eliminate problems of pedagogy, structural inequities, access asymmetries and rampant commercialisation.
The policy also says that wherever possible, the medium of instruction in schools until at least Class 5, but preferably until Class 8 and beyond, will be the home language or mother tongue or regional language. This is a long-held view, and has its merits, although in a large and diverse country where mobility is high, the student should have the option to study in the language that enables a transfer nationally. English has performed that role due to historical factors.
An ambitious target of public spending at 6% of GDP has been set.
Mobilising financial resources will be a big challenge, given the low tax-to-GDP ratio and competing claims on the national exchequer of healthcare, national security and other key sectors.
Way Forward
There is a need for the creation of ‘inclusion funds’ to help
socially and educationally disadvantaged children pursue education.
The state needs to address the striking disparities in access
to digital tools for universalization of education.
There is an emphasis on vocational training, but to make it
effective, there has to be close coordination between the education, skills and
labour ministry.
Conclusion
The intent of policy seems to be ideal in many ways but it is
the implementation where lies the key to success.
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