An Eye on the Future

Context: Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the new National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 with an aim to introduce several changes in the Indian education system.

Quantitative and qualitative changes brought in by NEP

• Thrust on practicality and skill development:  Integration of vocational education with basic education that will develop entrepreneurial competencies.

• Inclusive Education:

• Universal access to early childhood education and stress on equity, gender, and special needs.

• Education in local languages or mother tongue: atleast up to 5th grade and possible beyond 8th.
• Aims at 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030 and 50 GER in higher education by 2025.
• Provision of multiple learning pathways involving both formal and non-formal education modes, leading to reduced dropouts.
• Considers education as a public good and suggests Philanthropic Private Participation.
• Aligning of the Universal Access to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) with the NCERT’s National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Education (NCPFECE). 

• Improved Learning Outcomes (LOs):

• Innovative Pedagogic Tools: Solving mathematics problems through a variety of innovative methods, including the regular use of puzzles and games.

• To  deal with teacher absenteeism: 

• Merit-based selection and deployment of teachers and online systems for teacher transfers. 

• Enabling milieu for teachers like good salaries and the ready availability of pedagogic tools.

• Innovative Higher Education Ecosystem: to include high-quality universities and colleges, learning optimization, multidisciplinary education, and extension of graduate course from 3 to 4 years.

• NEP has a vision of combining different institutions into multidisciplinary universities and “higher education institution clusters” or “knowledge hubs”.

• Upgrading digital infrastructure and emphasis on learning at your own pace, NEP attempts to bridge the digital divide.

• Transparency: Periodic “inspections”, self-assessment and voluntary declaration with transparency, quality standards and positive public perception are the key elements.

Challenges in Implementing the NEP

• Difficult to mobilise funds: The policy aims to increase the spending on education from the current 3.2% of GDP to 6% of the GDP which is challenged by:

• Low tax-to-GDP ratio.
• Kick-starting the economy.
• Strife with neighbours and competing development requirements.
• The policy’s success will hinge on its integration with the government’s other polices, like the New Industrial Policy, Digital India, Skill India, Atmanirbhar Bharat and the “vocal for local” programme. 

Conclusion: The policy facilitates the way for “one nation, one curriculum” and the success of the policy will address the imperatives of the present and helps in meeting the expectations of the future.