The recently unveiled National Education Policy (NEP 2020) has, understandably, triggered a great deal of discussion. NEP 2020 is an extension of the two earlier policies of 1968 and 1986/92 and certain ideas contained in the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission (2006-09) and the Yash Pal Committee (2009). This policy planning to transform India into a lively awareness, society making both school and college education more extensive, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to 21st century needs and aimed at bringing out the novel capabilities of every student. It was launched on?Wednesday, July 29 2020. The remarkable highlights of the policy are as per the following:
1.It guarantees Universal Access at all Levels of schooling from pre-primary school to grade 12.NEP 2020 intends to accomplish 100% Gross Enrollment Ratio in school education by 2030. It stresses on the criticality of the early years to guarantee quality early childhood care and education for all kids between 3-6 years.
2. The existing 10+2 structure in school education will be modified with a new pedagogical and curricular restructuring of 5+3+3+4 covering ages 3-18. Currently, children in the age group of 3-6 are not covered in the 10+2 structure as Class 1 begins at age 6. In the new 5+3+3+4 structure, a strong base of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from age 3 is also included. The new framework will cover four phases:
Foundational Stage (in two sections, that is, 3 years of Anganwadi/pre-school + 2 years in a primary school in Grades 1-2; both together covering ages 3-8).
Preparatory Stage (Grades 3-5, covering ages 8-11)
Middle Stage (Grades 6-8, covering ages 11-14), and
Secondary Stage (Grades 9-12 in two stages, i.e., 9 and 10 in the first and 11 and 12 in the second, covering ages 14-18).
3. Students will have increased flexibility and selection of subjects with the goal that they pick their paths according to their gifts and interests. There will be no rigid segregation between expressions and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular exercises, between vocational and academic streams. The objective is to give equivalent emphasis on all subjects-science, sociologies, craftsmanship, languages, sports, arithmetic – with the integration of vocational and academic streams in school.
Students of class 6 and onwards will be taught coding in schools as a part of 21st-century skills
4. Experiential learning will include hands-on learning, arts-integrated and sports-integrated education, and story-telling-based pedagogy, among others, as standard pedagogy. Classroom transactions will shift, towards competency-based learning and education. The assigned content will focus on key concepts, ideas, applications, and problem-solving. Teaching and learning will be conducted in a more interactive manner
5. NIOS(National Institute of Open School) and State Open Schools will also offer A, B and C levels that are equivalent to Grades 3, 5, and 8 of the formal school system; secondary education programs that are equivalent to Grades 10 and 12; vocational education courses/programs; and adult literacy and life-enrichment programs.
6. The medium of instruction until in any event Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/native language/neighbourhood language/regional language. The three-language learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and the students, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.
Sanskrit will be offered at all degrees of school and higher education as a significant, enriching option for students writing of India, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Pali, Persian, and Prakrit, will likewise be broadly available in schools as options for students. Unknown languages, for example, Korean, Japanese, Thai, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian, will likewise be offered at the secondary level. Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardized the nation over, and National and State educational program materials developed, for use by students with hearing difficulty.
7. Use of schools/ school complexes beyond school hours and public library spaces for adult education courses which will be ICT-equipped when possible and for other community engagement and enrichment activities. . Quality technology-based options for adult learning such as apps, online courses/modules, satellite-based TV channels, online books, and ICT-equipped libraries and Adult Education Centres, etc. will be developed.
8. Pre-school sections covering at least one year of early childhood care and education will be added to Kendriya Vidyalaya and other primary schools around the nation, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
9.Every child to learn at least one vocation and exposed to several more. A sampling of important vocational crafts, such as carpentry, electric work, metalwork, gardening, pottery making, etc., as decided by States and local communities during Grades 6-8.
By 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education
A 10-day bagless period sometime during Grades 6-8 to intern with local vocational experts such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, artists, etc.
Bagless days will be encouraged throughout the year for various types of enrichment activities involving arts, quizzes, sports, and vocational crafts.
Similar internship opportunities to learn vocational subjects to students throughout Grades 6-12, including holiday periods.
Vocational courses through online mode will also be made available.
10.Under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, State Governments may encourage opening NCC wings in their secondary and higher secondary schools, including those located in tribal-dominated areas.
11. Free boarding facilities will be built - matching the standard of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya particularly for students who from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds
12. A dedicated unit to orchestrate the building of digital infrastructure, digital content and capacity building will be created in the MHRD to look after the e-education needs of both school and higher education. A comprehensive set of recommendations for promoting online education consequent to the recent rise in epidemics and pandemics to ensure preparedness with alternative modes of quality education whenever and wherever traditional and in-person modes of education are not possible has been covered
13.Efforts will be made to provide financial help to the merit of students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and other SEDGs. The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to support, foster, and track the progress of students receiving scholarships. Private HEIs will be encouraged to offer larger numbers of scholarships to their students.
14. Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single body for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. HECI to have four independent verticals - National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation, General Education Council (GEC ) for standard-setting, Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding, and National Accreditation Council( NAC) for accreditation
15. Children with disabilities will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education with the help of special educators who will be fully trained.
16. Every state/district will be encouraged to establish “Bal Bhavans” as a special daytime boarding school, to participate in art-related, career-related, and play-related activities.
17. 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.
18.Board exams will include the objective type and descriptive type questions and will be based on different models like an annual exam, semester examination etc
Board exam should promote knowledge application rather than rote learning
19.The National Testing Agency (NTA) will offer a high-quality common aptitude test, as well as specialized common subject exams in the sciences, humanities, languages, arts, and vocational subjects, at least twice every year for university entrance exams.
20. A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT. By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. degree. Stringent action will be taken against substandard stand-alone Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs).
21.There are over 45,000 affiliated colleges in our country. Under Graded Autonomy, Academic, Administrative & Financial Autonomy will be given to colleges, based on the status of their accreditation.
22. There will e-content in a regional language apart from?English and Hindi. E-courses to be in eight major languages, not just English and Hindi.
23. New Education Policy 2020 aims at promoting India as a global study destination providing premium education at affordable costs. An International Students Office at each institution hosting foreign students will be set up. High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries. Selected universities like those from among the top 100 universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India.
24. The undergraduate degree courses will be of either 3 or 4- year duration, with multiple exit options. A certificate course after completing 1 year in a discipline or field, including vocational and professional areas, or a diploma after 2 years of study, or a Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year programme. The 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programme, however, shall be the preferred option. Even engineering institutions, such as IITs, will move towards more holistic and multidisciplinary education with more arts and humanities. Students of arts and humanities will aim to learn more science. NEP?aims at setting up at least one large multidisciplinary institution in or near every district by the year 2030.
It is quite extraordinary to see the initiative taken by the government to transform the education system. The New Education Policy is marketed with the promise of landmark ideas. It is quite bold of the government to want to restructure the education system, with especially drastic changes in the higher education system. However, how the government will manage to undertake these bold changes seems to be quite insignificant to those who have written this document.