A year has passed since the National Education Policy 2020 came into existence and recently a few states have also announced the implementation of the same from this academic year. For the unawares, this article will take us through a brief background of previous National Education Policies as well as the current one. If you have questions like what is NEP 2020 and various features of the National Education policy of 2020, you’re at the right place. Read on to know more.
First let’s understand what it all means-
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), is a comprehensive framework which intends to bring about changes in the elementary as well as higher education system in our country, both in rural and urban areas. The goal is to revolutionize the Indian Education System by 2040. The Union cabinet in July 2020 approved the New Education Policy (NEP), which aims at universalization of education from pre-school to secondary level.
Let’s look at a brief history of the policies our country has seen:
The National Policy of Education 1968 ( NPE 1968) included Free and Compulsory Education, Education of Teachers, Equalization of Educational Opportunity, Science Education and Research, Production of Books, Literacy of the general population, Higher Education and many more. This policy was formulated under the guidance/recommendations of the Kothari Commission.
A new Education Policy was introduced in India in the year 1986. The policy included reorganization of educational programs at Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary level.
The National Policy on Education-1986 was modified in 1992 under the government led by P.V. Narasimha Rao. The new policy centered around the "Common Minimum Programme" was adopted. This NPE envisaged conducting common entrance exams on "All India" basis. This was done for various technical/professional programs and Architecture/Engineering programs (AIEEE and JEE at National level and State level Engineering exams like CET for state-level institutions). Due to this the psychological and financial burden on students and their parents decreased.
Why and where did the previous policies fail:
The
lack of vision & role on part of the Then Central Govt., droughts and wars led to the failure of in NPE 1968,
and a few of these issues were rectified in the successive NPE's.
Need for a new education policy:
The Central Govt constituted a Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan to draft a New Education Policy in 2019 as it was felt that there is a huge gap between the current requirements and our education system. The gap ranges from Mental Health issues to Employ-ability issues due the prevalent systems. This is a first all-inclusive education policy after the liberalization in 1991.
The policy is a drastic shift and considers its people more than just human capital. It is aimed to give a greater focus as a knowledge economy.
Various Features of NEP 2020:
1)
Emphasis
on Critical-thinking, Skill development, discussion and analysis-based learning also known as STEAM Learning etc.
2)
Efforts
to optimize learning and aid in the cognitive development of children.
4)
Financial
support for students which includes various scholarships, funds etc.
5)
Creation
of National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) which will look into the use of technology in various aspects of the education system.
6)
Promotion
of Regional/Local languages which include various Indic languages, literatures,
scriptures etc.
7) As of 2019/20 the expenditure on education on both central and state level is around 3 percent. NEP 2020 recommends increasing public investment on education to 6% of GDP. (The same was recommended in NPE 1968,but was not previously implemented)
8) It aims to move towards a holistic multidisciplinary system of education where students are given more freedom to opt subjects of their own liking and flexibility both in terms of, curricula as well as the entry and exit point of student’s choosing with appropriate certification.
9) Various academic institutions and measures like "Bal Bhavans", Holistic Assessment called as "PARAKH", fading the lines between the curricular and co-curricular activities.
10) Greater importance has been given for Indian Languages and compulsory Primary education in Mother tongue.
To conclude:
The
New Education Policy of 2020 was long-overdue. The central government and state
governments have to work hand-in-hand for the effective implementation of this
policy. There are several drawbacks of this policy, but the positives outweigh
the negatives.
Questions
like what changes will actually be seen at the ground level? Is it just another
one of those reforms which looks good on paper but will never see the light of
day? cannot be answered now. We just
have to wait and see how this policy plays out in the coming years. But if the
policy is implemented as planned, it will open new avenues for students
throughout the country and create an education system that is lauded across the
world.
At the forefront of this effort, is the company called YantroMitra.
YantroMitra Learning Technologies Private Limited, is an EdTech company that offers a wide range of professional training and courses on STEAM education, Robotics, Hydroponics, etc. It also conducts fun & adventure activities for children like Pottery, Stargazing, Camping and much more.
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