India's new National Education Policy 2020, has been developed by our Union Cabinet after a long term debate for nearly five years with stakeholders and the general public under the aegis of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in his second tenure. Bringing revolutionary changes in higher education, increasing focus on non-academic skills, language diversity and course fluidity, the approach is quite “Indi-centric’. The objective of introducing this policy by the government is to increase the public investment in the education sector from the current GDP of 4.3 per cent to 6 % at the earliest.
MHRD will set up a National Mission on Foundational Numeracy and Literacy. Targeting 100 % youth and adult literacy in India, States have prepared an implementation plan to achieve universal foundational literacy in all primary schools for all students by 2025.
NEP and School Education:
The focus of school curricula and pedagogy will be for holistic development of learners by 21st century, skill development, reduction in curricular content to enhance essential learning and critical thinking and more thrust on experiment-based learning. Students will be allowed to have a greater flexibility and choice of subjects. The existing rigid separations between arts and sciences, vocational and academic streams and between curricular and extra-curricular activities, will have been eliminated.
Schools will be giving vocational education from 6th grade, which will also include internship programmes.
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Provisions to ensure universal access to school education at all levels including pre-school to secondary improvising infrastructural support has been documented in NEP 2020.
State Open Schools and NIOS will be conducting open learning for classes 3, 5 and 8. Vocational courses, secondary education programs equivalent to Grades 10 and 12, life-enrichment programs and adult literacy has been introduced in the policy. The early childhood education framework of children up to the age of 8 will be designed by NCERT.
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Changes in School curriculum: The 10+2 structure of school curricula is to be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively. The uncovered age group of 3-6 years will be brought under school curriculum, by this new model which has been identified globally as the crucial stage for the mental development of a child. This new system will have schooling for twelve years along with 3 years of Anganwadi/pre-schooling.
Language and Multilingualism: As per the new NEP 2020, there will be added preference for mother tongue/local language/regional language as the medium of instruction at least till Grade 5, but preferably it must go at or beyond Grade 8. Students will have to study Sanskrit at all levels of school and higher education as an option for. Indian literature and other classical languages will also be available as good options. Several international languages will also be offered at secondary level.
Reforms in assessments: A shift from summative assessment to a more competency-based regular assessment has been made. All students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 including class 10th and 12th board exams. A new a standard-setting National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), will be set up for the same.
NEP 2020 will also provide equitable education including setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund and also Special Education Zones for disadvantaged category. Children with disabilities will be enabled for regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education, with support of educators with cross-disability training, assistive devices, appropriate technology-based tools and other support systems.
The next blog has to be come up with NEP for Higher Education. Citation courtesy: [https://vikaspedia.in/education/policies-and-schemes/national-education-policy-2020].
