With approval of the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday is expected to set the roadmap to drastic educational reforms keeping in mind present dismal scenario prevailing in India. The HRD ministry shall be now rechristened to its decades old earlier name – The Ministry of Education.
This policy comes after almost thirty four years, and post deliberation of almost six years across 2.5 Lakh village-panchayats spread over 6600 block in 676 districts. This is the third NEP after policies that came in 1968, and 1986 loaded with leftist leaning. Though the government amended the 1986 policy in 1992, it was largely the same.
With abolition of matriculation there will be no M Phil courses henceforth. The new policy aims for universalisation of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030 and aims to raise GER in higher education to 50 per cent by 2025.
This is the first education policy of the 21st century and replaces the thirty-four-year-old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986. NEP 2020 hopes to bring two crore out of school children back into the main stream.
There shall be only 12th class board and will be based on semester system between 9th to 12th classes. Upto 5th standard, thrust will be on mother tongue, local and national languages. 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. It will include 12 years of schooling and three years of Anganwadi and pre-schooling. NCERT will develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of eight.
NEP 2020 calls for setting up of a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by the Education Ministry. States will prepare an implementation plan for attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy in all primary schools for all learners by grade 3 by 2025.
Uniformity of rules are introduced for all Government, Deemed and Central Universities with substantial reforms in the higher educations.
According to an official statement, “This is the first education policy of the 21st century and replaces the 34-year-old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986. Built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability, this policy is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to 21st century needs and aimed at bringing out the unique capabilities of each student”.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the National Education Policy 2020 Wednesday, making way for large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors. Let's hope this will pave way for a bright and prosperous India.
