Bringing transformational reforms in education!

Union Cabinet has approved the new National Education Policy, NEP and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is now Ministry of Education. It is significant to note that the new National Education Policy has been drafted by committee headed by former ISRO chief K Kasturirangan, and replaces the one formulated in 1986, last modified in 1992. The draft policy was released last year and has undergone several deliberations since then, including the latest change on making it ready for an education system suited to a Covid-19 world.

National Education Policy 2020 will bring transformational reforms in school and higher education systems in the country, with an aim to make “India a global knowledge superpower,” here are a few highlights:

School Education

• Ensuring universal access at all levels of school education – Infrastructure support, innovative education centres to bring back dropouts into the mainstream, tracking of students and their learning levels, facilitating multiple pathways to learning.
• Early Childhood Care & Education with new Curricular and Pedagogical Structure – NEP deals with revision of the curriculum and pedagogical structure of 10+2 system to 5+3+3+4 system with ages 3-18, focus to be on language and mathematics in Class I to III. The policy also states the medium of instruction to be in mother or local language till Class V and preferably till Class VIII and beyond.
• Attaining Foundational Literacy and Numeracy – A National Book Promotion Policy is to be formulated.
• Reforms in school curricula and pedagogy – Holistic development of learners by equipping them with the key 21st century skills, vocational education will start in schools from the 6th grade, and will include internships.
• Multilingualism and the power of language, Robust Teacher Recruitment and Career Path and many more.

Higher Education

• Increase GER to 50 % by 2035 – NEP 2020 seeks to Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035.
• Holistic Multidisciplinary Education – The policy envisages broad based, multi-disciplinary, holistic Under Graduate education with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education and multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification.
• Regulation – Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up, 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.
• Education goes global – Select universities (e.g., those from among the top 100 universities in the world) will be permitted to operate in India. A legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India. High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries, and similarly.

Teacher Education

Focus on Teacher Education, mentoring, technology, financial support, languages and many more reforms