APRIL 2022 - MONTHLY REPORT

 

National Education Policy 2020

On 29^th July 2020, The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the National Education Policy 2020. The NEP is based on the Draft National Education Policy 2019 and was drafted by Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization who had submitted to the Union Minister for Human Resource Development Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal in 2019. Promoting the spirit of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” aspects such as widening the availability of scholarships, strengthening infrastructure for Open and Distance Learning, Online Education and increasing the usage of technology have received great attention and are vital reforms for the education sector in the NEP. There are four segments in National Education Policy that covers Part I as School Education, Part II in Higher Education, Part III as Other Key Areas of Focus like Adult Education, promoting Indian languages and Online Education and ultimately Part IV is Making it Happen which discusses the policy’s implementation.

HIGHLIGHTS OF NEP

 The major aim of introducing and implementing the NEP is to enhance the quality of education equally for all and moving in the direction of strengthening India as a global super power.

1. Single regulations for all levels of school education like tracking students learning levels, bring back the dropouts into the education centers, infrastructural support, introducing counselors and trained social workers to schools, facilitate formal and non-formal education modes, Grade 3, 5 and 8 will be provided open learning and open public schools through NIOS, Equivalent Secondary education programs in grades 10 and 12 and introducing vocational courses in the school curriculum.
2. NEP will be replacing the 10+2 study culture with a 5+3+3+4 curriculum structure subjecting to the respective age group of 3-8, 8-11, 11-14 and 14-18 years. The new system has proposed 12 years of school education with 3 years of pre-schooling/Anganwadi. Anganwadi and kindergarten teachers will be trained in ECCE pedagogy and programs. 
3.  All students will take 3rd, 5th and 8th-year exams which will be taken by the competent authority. 10th and 12th classes will still appear for the board exams but the pattern will be restructured aiming at the integrated development of the child. A new National Assessment Center, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) will be established as a standard-setting body. 
4. The policy seeks to standardize the school curriculum for Indian Sign Language across the country and teaching material for students with hearing impairments will be developed for national and state schools. To promote and give more emphasis on the regional language/mother-tongue, instruction medium up to class 5 will be in local/home languages. Sanskrit will be an optional third language subject at all levels of the school. Other than Sankrit, other languages will also be available as optional subjects. 
5. It aims to achieve Universal Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in primary schools by 2025. For this, the Ministry of Human Resource Development shall set up a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.  
6. NCFSE 2020-21 (National Curricular Framework For School Education) will be created by NCERT. 
7. Vocational education will also be imparted from 6th grade onwards. Vocational education will include internships. 
8. Board exams will now be more application and knowledge-based. 
9. Both the public and private higher education institutes will be governed under the same norms.  
10. All entrance exams for higher education institutes and universities will be held commonly. 
11. All higher education institutes excluding the medical and law colleges will be governed by a          single regulator. 
12. MPhil courses will now be terminated. 
13. The NEP aims at increasing the current GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) from 26.3% to 50 by 2035. 
14.  According to the NEP it is being speculated that 3.5 crore new seats will be added for higher          education. 
15. A National Research Foundation shall be established to facilitate merit-based but equitable peer reviewed research funding. 
16. The government of India shall constitute a ‘Gender-Inclusion Fund’ to provide equitable and quality education to all girls and transgender students. States shall use this fund to implement the central government’s policies for assisting female and transgender students, such as provisions for toilets and sanitation, conditional cash transfers and bicycles. The fund will enable states to support community-based interventions. 
17. The education policy will focus on promoting equality among all. Special attention will be given to the SEDG (Socially and Economically Disadvantaged) group. SEDG includes gender, geographical, cultural and social disabilities. 
18. Disadvantaged regions will have special education zones. Disabled students will be allowed for regular schooling with the help of teachers specialized for disable students. Training, accommodations, appropriate technology etc will be provided to disabled students taking up regular schooling. States/districts are advised to set up day-boarding schools – “Bal Bhavans” for participation in extra activities that will be career and play related. 
19. Teacher Training : NCTE will formulate a new comprehensive national educational framework for teacher training, NCFTE 2021, in consultation with NCERT. As per the policy of the new education system, by 2030, a teacher will require a minimum of B.Ed Degree of 4 years for teaching in any institution. Continued action will be taken against lower quality Autonomous Teacher Training Institutions (TEIs). 
20. Undergraduates will now have the option to choose the number of years as per their requirement ranging from 1-4 years with appropriate certification. For example, certificate after 1 year, advanced diploma after 2 years, license after 3 years and research license after 4 years. HEIs shall have the flexibility to offer Master’s Programmes of two years for those who have completed a three-year undergraduate Programme, of one year for students who have completed a four-year undergraduate Programme, or five-year integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes. 
21. The policy says that all Higher Education Institutions’ (HEIs) shall aim to be multidisciplinary by 2040. By 2030, there shall be at least one multidisciplinary HEI in or near every District. 
22. The policy says that ‘high performing’ Indian universities shall be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries. Similarly, selected universities such as those from among the top 100 universities in the world shall be encouraged to operate in India.