Exploring the ambitious vision of NEP 2020, addressing historical challenges and embracing modern needs for a competitive future in learning
Throughout history, India has always made significant and praiseworthy advancements in the realm of education. Macaulay proposed a modern educational system in the twentieth century, and ever since then, Indian schools have adhered to his ideas. The sole basis for any changes or improvements to education policy was Macaulay’s system. From preschool on up, the National Education Policy, 2020 aims to revamp the whole educational system. At a time when the globe is becoming increasingly technologically dependent, there is an urgent need for a sea change in the educational system. It is essential to overhaul the education system due to the global ranking of Indian universities and the performance gap between premier schools and other institutions.
NEED FOR A NEW NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY
Due to factors such as the advent of the gig economy, the pervasiveness of information and communication technologies, the internationalisation of companies, new technological developments, and the need to prepare students for jobs in the modern economy, education has undergone a dramatic shift in the 21st century. Rigid memorisation, which focuses on exams of abstract concepts with pitiful application, is a major problem in India’s school system. Even in universities that focus on technical education, where hands-on experience is paramount, the practice is widespread (Wipro, 2011).
A statewide poll carried out by EzVidya (Times of India, 2012), an education provider, revealed that over 70% of school principals held the belief that memorisation hinders pupils’ ability to think creatively and academically. There has been a shift away from “teacher-centric” methods and towards “learner-centric” ones in international education. However, despite several efforts to improve teacher training, conventional teaching methods continue to be used in India. A learner-centric approach is hindered by India’s traditional teacher-centred paradigm, which is based on gender, caste, social equality, and religion. In India, professional degrees, such as engineering and medicine, are gaining popularity at the expense of science and arts programmes.
Despite India’s education system being the third largest in the world, there is still cause for concern when looking at how Indian colleges stack up against their overseas counterparts. Times Higher Education, a UK-based global ranking of colleges, has 63 institutions in its ranks, but just 2 make it into the top 400. In addition, as part of the 2030 agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (target 4) on education, India has taken a stand to “ensure equitable and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Only after a complete overhaul of India’s educational system would this be achievable. The 2020 National Education Policy therefore came into being.
Salient Features of NEP 2020 – School Education
More focus will be placed on 21st-century skills, which include creativity, communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and curiosity, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reiteration of NEP 2020’s promise of a sea transformation in school education. He went on to say that experiential learning and pedagogies focused on students were crucial. With a goal of reaching a GER of 100% by 2025, the policy is designed with a more expansive vision of making school education available to everyone.
The 10+2 system will be replaced with a 5+3+3+4 system in schools After an extra three years of pre-school, a student still spends a total of twelve years in school. According to the new strategy, instead of K-12 (kindergarten through twelfth grade), there will be four distinct phases of education: foundation (ages 3–8), preparatory (ages 8–11), intermediate (ages 11–14), and secondary (ages 14–18). The proposed system will improve cognitive growth, and scholars believe that the change is grounded in science. In line with this understanding, a UNICEF study found that even a year of preschool helps kids be more prepared for kindergarten.
According to UNICEF, the report went on to say that children’s growth in the years leading up to the age of eight is critical because it sets the stage for the child’s future academic success. Interestingly, a study conducted by Stanford University found that children who start school later (6 years instead of 5 years) do better on exams and exhibit higher self-control. In addition, research found that hyperactivity and inattention were both alleviated after a year of waiting.
According to research by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services (2019), while preschool programs may help kids develop their brains, they won’t necessarily be emotionally prepared for kindergarten. Researchers in New Zealand found that students whose formal schooling begins at a younger age have a more negative outlook on reading and comprehension, which was documented in the same study.
It’s encouraging to see that in the first three to six years of school, students learn mostly through play and activities and that interactive classroom instruction begins in grade six. While most people in India’s cities attend kindergarten and pre-school, many in rural areas send their childrenSending kids to Anganwadi centres, whose main job is to track their development and cut down on malnutrition. As stated in section 1.7 of NEP 2020, these Anganwadi personnel have completed secondary school, thus they should have the necessary training to ensure the education of children at this critical developmental stage.
Countless youngsters in India do not have access to high-quality ECCE programs. There will be two sections to the ECCE curriculum that NCERT will create: one for children aged 0–3 and another for children aged 3–8. While the National Curricular Framework for School Education (NCFSE) is anticipated to wrap up its curriculum development this year (2020-21), the goal of providing quality education to all is set to be accomplished by 2030, which is a far more ambitious timeline.
In secondary school, there will be revised board exams in addition to assessments in grades 3, 5, and 8. Now is the time to compare and contrast the public and private school systems in terms of educational quality. It has been said time and time again that public schools are not up to par with private ones. found that pupils enrolled in public schools had extremely low levels of reading and numeracy. Also, as reported by IANS (2019), approximately 1 lakh elementary and secondary institutions in India only have one teacher. The government should prioritise the hiring of more qualified teachers, institute teacher training programs in the newly proposed learner-centric pedagogies, improve infrastructure and implement efficient monitoring in light of the important notion of examinations in grades 3, 5, and 8. For the NEP’s goals to be successfully achieved, appropriate and relevant assessment methodologies should be devised as soon as possible.
Instead of measuring students’ memorisation abilities, NEP 2020 suggests making the 10th and 12th-grade board exams easier to manage so that pupils don’t become too stressed out. A considerable amount of time will be spent gradually developing the new evaluation system. Additionally, students can take the board exams twice a year if they feel they need to improve, which can help lessen stress levels.
Similarly, entrance exams for higher education institutions will be based on conceptual understanding and the ability to apply knowledge, which could mean less need for extra coaching classes.
Another feature of NEP 2020 that has garnered a lot of attention is the implementation of a multilingual education system in schools. This is something that southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, are opposed to, as they believe that the three-language system is an attempt to impose Hindi and Sanskrit. In a drastic move, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has rejected the three-language policy and affirmed the dual-language system in Tamil Nadu. However, Dr. Kasturirangan, Chairman of NEP 2020, clarified that NEP 2020 gives the flexibility to adopt a multilingual education system and assures that schools should provide instruction in the mother tongue, local, or regional languages at least through fifth grade and, ideally, all the way through eighth grade.
In many parts of the world, children are taught in their native language. A large body of research supports including mother tongue instruction in elementary school curricula. According to Benson (2005), one way to improve education is to implement a bilingual system. Concepts are taught in both the first language (L1) and the target language (L2) in a systematic manner in the bilingual system. This allows for an easy shift from using one’s native tongue to one that is unfamiliar. He went on to say that teaching in two languages improves test scores and fortifies students’ emotional intelligence, the building blocks of character. A mother-tongue-based bilingual system improves educational quality and sharpens cognitive learning, according to a UNESCO study. There is a significant decrease in school dropouts when instruction is based on the mother tongue. The idea gained a lot of traction with the launch of NEP 2020, even though it was previously stated in Article 350A of the Indian Constitution and the Right to Education Act, 2009.
In NEP 2020, numerous questions were left unanswered about the changes in the medium of instruction, public vs. private schools, boards of education, etc. Officials from the HRD Ministry made it clear that the suggestion is advisory only and not mandatory.
Giving students more say over their education is a big deal in NEP 2020, and incorporating ideas from new technologies like AI, design thinking, coding, etc., into classroom instruction will undoubtedly help bring Indian education to the global stage. Concurrently, for the sake of the students’ planned overall growth, it is suggested that we place an emphasis on ethos, environmental conservation, health and cleanliness, fitness, the Indian knowledge system, and similar topics.
Students beginning in sixth grade and continuing through high school would be required to participate in vocational training, another contentious recommendation of NEP 2020. Vocational training, which includes physical labour in fields such as carpentry, pottery, gardening, etc., can be introduced from the age of eleven. While many believe it will help improve skills, there are few compelling arguments against it. During sixth and eighth grade, students should participate in a 10-day internship focused on vocational skills (the “bag-less period”). A person is prohibited from engaging in any physical labour if they are less than fourteen years old, as stated in India’s Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986. It is also believed that students from lower-middle-class backgrounds are more likely to acquire jobs instead of focusing on their studies.
Improving educational quality is the true goal of all these NEP 2020 suggestions. Public schools are particularly troublesome in this respect because, owing to inadequate funding and staffing, student achievement is routinely below par. Teachers should be prepared to implement new pedagogical goals while introducing new course curricula.
School Complex Creation (Para 5.10, NEP 2020):
The policy proposes school complex development as a solution to the problems of underfunded schools, inadequate facilities, and schools with only one teacher. A school complex is a group of five or six elementary or middle schools that work together under the guidance of a single school, usually a high school in the area, to share administrative and scholastic resources. Better administration, resource sharing, knowledge base creation, and a healthy learning environment can be achieved through school complexes, according to the recommendation, without compromising students’ accessibility. Although the Kothari Commission first proposed the idea of school complexes, they were never put into action. The writers enumerated the benefits of school complexes and gave their enthusiastic recommendations. Among these are:
- The integration of education at all levels,
- The development of a critical mass of instructors, students, libraries, and other resources, and
- Enhanced assistance for divyang children.
The progress card will now include all aspects of performance, including academics, emotions, and motor skills.
Among the significant improvements, there will be a strengthening of teacher eligibility exams, a shift from seniority to merit-based promotions, and the establishment of national professional standards for teachers.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognizes the need to prepare and certify teachers to work with students who have disabilities.
Creation of National Book Promotion Policy:
This policy aims to ensure that books for teaching and learning are easily accessible.
Establishment of PARAKH:
In order to establish standards and procedures for assessment across different boards in India, a national assessment centre called PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) will be established.
Stronger support will be given to open schooling and distance learning programs to help students learn in a variety of ways.
A detailed discussion of the key elements of NEP 2020 at the school level is attempted in this article. With the goal of internationalizing the Indian educational system, the strategy has adopted a comprehensive approach to reforms. Numerous critics and education experts have praised the features and the suggested action plan of NEP. Certain proposals, such as the multilingual system, mother tongue instruction, and the 5+3+3+4 scheme, have also drawn criticism, particularly at the educational level. The planned reforms are enormous in scope, and their successful execution will necessitate methodical and coordinated efforts at all levels.
The writer is a teacher and research scholar at Lovely Professional University (LPU) Punjab
Muhsin Ahmad Malik
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