The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its assent to the National Education Policy 2020 on July 29, 2020 paving way for the long awaited reforms in education sector.
This is the 1st policy for the 21st century replacing the more than three decades old National Education Policy 1986 and is the most elaborate and comprehensive policy initiative in education taken by the Modi government.
The policy aims at large scale and transformational reforms in school and higher education aligning with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.
The NEP is being built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability.
This policy envisions to turn India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to 21st century needs and aimed at bringing out the unique capabilities of each student.
Here are some of the key elements in the policy with respect to school education:
Ensuring Universal Access at all levels of school education
NEP 2020 emphasizes on ensuring universal access to school education at all levels – preschool to secondary. Infrastructure support, innovative education centres to bring back dropouts into the mainstream, tracking of students and their learning levels, facilitating multiple pathways to learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes, an association of counsellors or well-trained social workers with schools, open learning for classes 3,5 and 8 through NIOS and State Open Schools, secondary education programs equivalent to Grades 10 and 12, vocational courses, adult literacy and life-enrichment programs are some of the new changes brought about in the policy. It is expected to bring about 2 crores children who are out of school to the mainstream.
Early Childhood Care & Education with New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure
The 10+2 structure has been broken down a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively with an emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education. This will bring the hitherto uncovered age group of 3-6 years under the school curriculum, which has been recognized globally as the crucial stage for the development of mental faculties of a child. Thus, the new schooling system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre-schooling.
The NCERT will also develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8. ECCE will be delivered through a significantly expanded and strengthened system of institutions including Anganwadis and pre-schools that will have teachers and Anganwadi workers trained in the ECCE pedagogy and curriculum.
The policy also seeks to synergize the efforts of Ministries of HRD, Women and Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare (HFW), and Tribal Affairs for catering to the holistic development of the child.
Achieving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
Achieving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy has been recognized as an urgent and necessary prerequisite to learning. NEP 2020 calls for setting up of a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by MHRD. States will prepare an implementation plan for attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy in all primary schools for all learners by grade 3 by 2025. A National Book Promotion Policy is also to be formulated.
Reforms in School Curricula and Pedagogy
The school curricula and pedagogy will aim for the holistic development of learners by equipping them with the key 21st-century skills, reduction in curricular content to enhance essential learning and critical thinking and a greater focus on experiential learning. Students will have increased flexibility and choice of subjects. There will be no rigid separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams.
Vocational education will start in schools from the 6th grade and will also include internships.
A new and comprehensive National Curricular Framework for School Education, NCFSE 2020-21, will also be developed by the NCERT to give effect.
Multilingualism and The Power of language
Learning in mother tongue/local language/regional language at least till Grade 5 and preferably till Grade 8 has been emphasized.
Sanskrit to be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an option for students, including in the three-language formula.
Other classical languages and literature of India will also be available as options.
No language will be imposed on any student.
Students to participate in a fun project/activity on ‘The Languages of India’ in Grades 6-8, like the current ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ initiative under which students are exposed to diverse Indian languages.
Several foreign languages will also be offered at the secondary level. Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardized across the country and National and State curriculum materials developed, for use by students with hearing impairment.
Reforms in Assessment
NEP 2020 envisages a shift from summative assessment to a more regular and competency-based formative assessment, which promotes learning and development, and tests higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity. All students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 which will be conducted by the appropriate authority. Board exams for Grades 10 and 12 will be continued, but redesigned with holistic development as the aim. A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), will be set up as a standard-setting body.
Equitable and Inclusive Education
NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses any opportunity to learn and excel because of the circumstances of birth or background. Special emphasis will be given to Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) which include gender, socio-cultural, and geographical identities and disabilities. This will include setting up of a Gender Inclusion Fund and also Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups. Children with disabilities will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education, with support of educators with cross-disability training, resource centres, accommodations, assistive devices, appropriate technology-based tools and other support mechanisms tailored to suit their needs. 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. Free school infrastructure can be used as Samajik Chetna Kendras
Teacher Recruitment and Development
Teachers will be recruited through robust, transparent processes. Promotions will be merit-based, with a mechanism for multi-source periodic performance appraisals and available progression paths to becoming educational administrators or teacher educators. A common National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by the National Council for Teacher Education by 2022, in consultation with NCERT, SCERTs, teachers and expert organizations from across levels and regions.
School Governance
The policy suggest that schools can be organized into school complexes or clusters as basic unit of governance ensuring availability of all resources including infrastructure, academic libraries and a strong professional teacher community.
Standard-setting and Accreditation for School Education
NEP 2020 envisages clear, separate systems for policymaking, regulation, operations and academic matters. States/UTs will set up an independent State School Standards Authority (SSSA). Transparent public self-disclosure of all the basic regulatory information, as laid down by the SSSA, will be used extensively for public oversight and accountability. The SCERT will develop a School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAAF) through consultations with all stakeholders.
Source: PIB