There was a time when India was called a Vishwa Guru - a world leader and acted as a knowledge center for the whole world with universities like Nalanda & Takshashila. Scholars from different parts of the globe visited India to enroll in these universities. And today, there's not one establishment in India that's within the list of top 100 universities of the world, in fact, today many Indian students aspire to enroll in foreign universities rather than local/national universities. Can we bring back our Vishwa Guru position and once again become a center of learning? Our governments say yes, With its New Education Policy, the govt of India has taken a radical effort and put an end to 34 years of deliberation and idling by introducing a policy that proposes to review and redesign all aspects of our education structure, its regulation, and governance to form a brand new structure that's aligned with the 21st-century globalized education. The new National Education Policy 2020 announced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education) sets for itself the goal of revamping the education system to satisfy the requirements of 21st Century India. In structural terms, the NEP measures to introduce early childhood education from age 3, offer school board examinations twice a year to help improve performance, move faraway from memorization, raise mathematical skills for everybody, shift to a four-year undergraduate college degree system, and build a better Education Commission of India exemplifying crucial changes.
Let’s take a look at some of the new changes or highlights of the NEP 2020:
The flexibility of selecting subjects
Under the National Education Policy, there'll be no rigid divergence between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams. Students can select subjects of their liking across streams
New pedagogical and curricular structure
The 10+2 academic structure has differed to the 5+3+3+4 system connected to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, 14-18 respectively. The new education policy will encompass 4 stages:
Foundation Stage - it'll be of 5 years from age 3-8 years. it'll encompass grade 1st -2nd
Preparatory Stage - it'll be of three Years from age 8- 11 years. it'll encompass grade 3rd- 5th
Middle Stage - it'll be of three years from age 11-14 years. it'll encompass grade 6th-8th
Secondary Stage - it'll be of 4 years from age 14- 18 years. it'll encompass grade 9th -12th
Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE)
Early childhood care and education are more than the preparation for elementary school. It aims at the holistic development of a child's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs to create a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning and well-being. Anganwadis and pre-schools will have teachers and Anganwadi workers trained within the ECCE pedagogy and curriculum
Emphasis on gaining foundational literacy and numeracy
A National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy is going to be founded by the education ministry. By 2025, states will prepare an implementation plan for achieving universal foundational literacy and numeracy in all primary schools for all students by grade 3
Future of Board Exams
Board exams for Grades 10 and 12 are going to be “redesigned” and a brand new National Assessment Centre, Parakh (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of knowledge for Holistic Development), will be founded as a standard-setting body. The changes within the board structure which seek to make the exams a test of “core competencies” are going to be executed from the 2021 school term
Reduction within the curriculum to core concepts
The policy states that curricular content would be reduced to strengthen essential learning and critical thinking and greater focus is going to be on experiential learning
Gender Inclusion Fund
Lack of adequate education for women has constantly been one of the foremost concerns. To mitigate the same, the policy envisages equitable quality education to all or any girls and transgender students
My thoughts & conclusion
In an ambitious roadmap, the NEP offers a progressive new paradigm crafted for the new generation of young Indians. it'll involve greater levels of transparency within government and regulatory bodies, more institutional independence, and an urgent sense of responsibility among all. Can the NEP transform India into a worldwide education hub or even a superpower? NEP floated many big ideas to harness this potential—and it's now up to the govt, educators, students, parents, and various stakeholders involved to rise to the occasion
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