INTRODUCTION:

•  National Education Policy 2020 has been announced on 29.07.2020. The National Education Policy 2020. The National Education Policy 2020 proposes various reforms in school education as well as higher education including technical education.

 

Salient Features on NEP 2020:

• Ensuring Universal Access at levels of schooling from pre-primary school to Grade 12;
• Ensuring quality early childhood care and education for all children between 3-6 years;
• New curricular and Pedagogical structure (5+3+3+4)
• No hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams;

• Establishing national Mission on Foundational Literacy & Numeracy;

• Emphasis on promoting multilingualism and Indian languages; The medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferable till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language.
• Assessment reforms- Board Exams on up to two occasions during any given school year, one main examination and one for improvement, if desired;
• Setting up of a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, & Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development);
• Equitable & inclusive education- Special emphasis given on Socially and Economically Disadvantage Group (SEDGs); A separate Gender Inclusion fund and Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups;
• Robust & Transparent processes for recruitment of teachers and merit based performance;
• Ensuring availability of all resources through school complexes and clusters;
• Setting up of Stage School Standards Authority (SSSA);
• Exposure of vocational education in school and higher education system;
• Increasing GER in higher education to 50%
• Holistic and Multidisciplinary Education with multiple entry/exit options;
• NTA to offer common Entrance Exam for Admission to HEIs;
• Establishment of Academic Bank of Credit;
• Setting up of Multidisciplinary Education & Research Universities (MERUs);
• Setting up National Research Foundation (NRF);
• ‘Light but Tight’ regulation;
• Single overarching umbrella body for promotion of higher education sector including teacher education and excluding medical and legal education – the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI)-with independent bodies for standard setting – the General Education council; funding – Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC);  accreditation – National Accreditation council (NAC); and regulation- National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC);
• Teacher Education – 4 year integrated Stag-specific, subject- specific Bachelor of Education

 Establishing a National Mission for mentoring:-

• Creation of an autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, administration. Appropriate integration of technology into all levels of education.
• Achieving 100% youth and adult literacy.
• Multiple mechanisms with checks and balances will combat and stop the commercialization of higher education.
• All education institutions will be held to similar standards of audit and disclosure as a ‘not for profit’ entity.
• The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
• Strengthening of the Central Advisory Board of Education to ensure coordination to bring overall focus on quality education.

 

Ø  FOUDATIONAL STAGE (5 YEARS)

• The foundation stage will comprise the first 5 years of a child’s schooling. In the first 3 years of education, children will be taught in Anganwadi, Balvatika OR community-based nurseries.

·         The other 2 years of schooling include multilevel, play/activity-based learning, during which they will develop the basic skills and knowledge required for learning.

Ø  FOUNDATIONAL STAGE (3 YEARS)

• The preparatory stage will be from age 8 to 11 and focus on foundational learning, including developing basic literacy and numeracy skills among studnts.
• The preparatory stage will help students develop their understanding of concepts in various subjects.

Ø  MIDDLE STAGE (3 YEARS)

• The middle stage will be from age 11 to 14 years. During the middle stage, students will be expected to develop core academic skills such as reading, writing, and basic language competencies.
• They will also be expected to develop life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

Ø  SECONDARY STAGE (4 YEARS)

• The secondary stage will be from age 14 to 18. During this stage, students will be expected to complete a core curriculum consisting of English, mathematics, Science & Social Studies. In addition, they will have the opportunity to choose from a range of electives, including languages, arts, and vocational subjects.

CHANGES MADE IN SCHOOL EDUCATION UNDER NEW EDUCATION POLICY 2020

• Single Regulations for All levels of School Education
• New Curriculum for Early Childhood Care & Education
• Pivot on Base Literacy
• Changes in the Process of Teacher’s Recruitment

• SINGLE REGULATION FOR ALL LEVELS OF SCHOOL EDUCATION:-

• The NEP focuses on providing universal access to education at all levels, from preschool to higher education. It aims to provide better education to all particularly those who were previously denied such opportunities.
• Grade 3,5 & 8 students will get open learning and open schools with no charge to the parents. The equivalent secondary school grade levels, 10 and 12 will also be available to all.
• There will be no tuition charged to them either. The introduction of vocational courses in the school curriculum aims to increase students employability by exposing them to new skill.

• NEW CURRICULUM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION.

• The new policy has abolished the rigid 10+2 structure of schooling and introduced a new 5+3+3+4 structure.
• The new policy emphasizes the holistic development of students; hence, the curriculum has been redesigned accordingly.
• Strengthened educational systems like Anganwadis & Kindergartens will focus on early childhood education and care
• Anganwadi workers and kindergarten teachers will be trained in using curricula and pedagogy suited for children up to 8 years old.
• The new policy also emphasizes vocational education and skill development.
• Under the new plicy, students will have the flexibility to choose subjects of their interest and will not be confined to any one stream.
• The policy aims at making education more affordable and accessible to all
• NCERT will create a national Framework for Early Childhood Care & Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to 8 years old

PIVOT ON BASE LITERACY:-

• According to the National Education Policy, the Ministry of Human Resource Development plans to establish a national Mission of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in India
• The stages will be responsible for implementing a program to attain foundational literacy and numeracy for students till class 3 in all primary schools. Each state will decide on their course of action, which could include changing its education policy

CHANGES MADE IN HIGHER EDUCATION UNDER NEW NATIONAL

 EDUCATION POLICY:

• 50% Increase In GER

The NEP aims to increase the GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) from 26.3% to 50%. This policy would require increasing the number of students studying in higher education and expanding the number of university places.

• Interdisciplinary General Education

The policy gives a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and broad-based college education with flexible study plans, more choices in choosing subjects, and more flexibility to leave the course with an accredited degree. It will now be possible for undergrads to choose the number of years they want with the appropriate degree.

• Regulation or Systems

The Higher Education Commission of India will have a board, an interim committee, an Academic Council, and teaching committee.

Prime Minister of India will chair the Interim Committee. There will be 14 members, seven of them elected from the general public. The Board will be in charge of all government universities. The Interim Committee will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the Board.

•   Rationalized Institutional Architecture

The NEP 2020 proposes a rationalized institutional architecture for the education system, ensuring that all institutions are aligned with the National Education Goals. Under this architecture, the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA) will be the apex body for regulating all higher education institutions), except medical and legal colleges.