National Education Policy

NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 2020

The National Education Policy (NEP), launched in 2020 and presently in its fifth year of implementation, is the first education policy of the 21st century that addresses critical education gaps and envisions the revision of the education system that not only aligns with the Goal 4 (SDG4) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development but also reflects India’s rich intellectual and cultural heritage. The policy envisages transforming the previous academic 10+2 structure in school education with a new pedagogical and curricular 5+3+3+4 structure covering ages 3-18.

Few salient features of NEP 2020:

1. NEP 2020 stresses on establishing a foundation of learning arc from the age of 3 by investing in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). ECCE essentially advocates for a play-based and activity-based learning atmosphere to develop cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities, and early literacy and numeracy.
2. Reconfiguration of the curricular and pedagogical structure of school in a new 5+3+3+4 design to structurally foster age-appropriate critical thinking, problem solving skills, creativity, emotional intelligence, as well as social, cultural, and environmental awareness.
3. No hard separation among ‘curricular’, ‘extracurricular’, or ‘co-curricular’, among ‘arts’, ‘humanities’, and ‘sciences’, or between ‘vocational’ or ‘academic’ streams.
4. Home language/mother tongue as the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.
5. Holistic, 360-degree, multidimensional report that reflects in great detail the academic progress as well as the uniqueness of each learner in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains.
6. The policy mandates the standardization of Indian Sign Language (ISL) across the country, and development of National and State curriculum materials for students with hearing impairment.
7. Strengthening Teacher Eligibility Tests (TETs) to inculcate better content and pedagogical standards. 
8. Recognizing the need for recruitment of additional special educators to address diverse learning needs effectively.
9. Equitable and Inclusive Education to incorporate Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs): female and transgender individuals, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, students from villages, small towns, and aspirational districts, Children With Special Needs (CWSN) or Divyang, and those from vulnerable or marginalized backgrounds such as victims of trafficking and child beggars.
10. It seeks to dissolve social hierarchies among disciplines and promotes interdisciplinary learning.
11. Integrates vocational education into mainstream education with clear action plan, targets and timelines, aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4.4
12. Promotes lifelong learning, enabling individuals to continue personal and professional growth throughout their lives. 
13. Preservation and promotion of India’s rich linguistic, artistic, and cultural heritage by encouraging the study of literature, customs, traditions, heritage, linguistic expressions, artefacts, heritage sites, and more.
14. The policy finally advocates for the integration of technology into the education system, including pilot studies on online education and leveraging e-learning platforms such as DIKSHA, SWAYAM, and SWAYAMPRABHA.
15. The policy also calls for design and implementation of new assessment frameworks by bodies like the National Assessment Centre (PARAKH), School Boards, and NTA to evaluate competencies.

The NEP 2020 has been widely acclaimed in Indian and global academic spheres. Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ during a virtual meeting with Director General, UNESCO, Ms Audrey Azoulay in New Delhi stated, “The NEP’s aim to achieve 100% GER in school education by 2030 and 50% in Higher Education by the year 2035 will bring additional 35 million students into the fold of higher education”. He further proudly noted that the Gender Parity Index in Higher education in India has crossed 1.

Director General of UNESCO Ms. Audrey Azoulay congratulated the Minister for bringing out the New Education policy which is visionary and capable of transforming the education sector. She further acknowledged the vitality of important concepts under NEP like strengthening administrative capacities, Socio- Emotional learning, Environmental awareness, etc. On behalf of UNESCO, she extended full support in implementation of the National Education Policy.

Indian academic subject experts also have lauded NEP 2020 for its transformative potential. Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Director of IIT Delhi, compared the NEP to the Morrill Land-Grant Acts of the United States, calling it a “Morrill Moment” for India; while Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), hailed the policy as a “positive step forward”.