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India’s National Education Policy was proposed by the Union Cabinet, bringing about amendments in school and higher education. It was approved in the year 2020, replacing the National Policy on Education (1986).
It’s objective is to eradicate illiteracy that is caused due to unfortunate circumstances i.e. background, disabilities, birth, etc. It aims to achieve 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by the year 2030.
Even though various government and non-government surveys were carried out in the past and insinuated that there was a ‘learning crisis’ in India, an accurate image emerged only after a survey was undertaken by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which was supported by the Union Ministry of Education. It was found that across 12 states, students scored drastically below the national average in mathematics ability.
What does this mean for students at the primary level? The ‘10+2’ structure will be replaced with the ‘5+3+3+4’ model. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank says that this policy will provide a unique
platform to fulfil the aspirations of students - and what better way to accomplish this than to start at the foundation level? NEP aims to build students who are:
● Self reliant- The curriculum will be built in such a way so as to allow students to become decisive and independent thinkers.
● Expressive- “Primary education will be in mother tongue and later one may switch to other languages”, said Mr. Pokhriyal. A child will be able to express oneself best in his/her mother tongue.
● Holistic- Students’ report cards will offer information about their skills, shifting the focus of assessments from marks based to competency based.
● Knowledgeable- Students will be more knowledgeable as the aim of learning will not be to complete the course, but rather to understand the topics being taught.
However, the success of this plan lies in its implementation at all levels and complete alliance between the Central, State Government and the Ministry of Education. Himachal Pradesh has become the first state to implement NEP 2020. The National Education Policy should be implemented in schools all over India by 2022.
Donna Mary Dias
(Donna Mary Dias lives in Kolkata. She is a young specialist in Pre-Primary education and Montessori trained teacher. She can be reached at donnadias75@gmail.com)