National New Education Policy (NEP) 2020
A National New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is a comprehensive framework to guide the development of education in the country. The need for a policy was first felt in 1964 when Congress MP Siddheshwar Prasad criticised the then government for lacking a vision and philosophy for education. The same year, a 17-member Education Commission, headed by then UGC Chairperson D.S. Kothari, was constituted to draft a national and coordinated policy on education. Based on the suggestions of this Commission, Parliament passed the first education policy in 1968. The second Education Policy was introduced in 1986 under the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi respectively. The NEP of 1986 was revised in 1992 when P V Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister. The third is the NEP released in August 2021 under the Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi.
The NEP 2020 proposes sweeping changes including opening up of Indian higher education to foreign universities, dismantling of the UGC and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), introduction of a four-year multidisciplinary undergraduate programme with multiple exit options, and discontinuation of the M Phil programme. In school education, the policy focuses on overhauling the curriculum, “easier” Board exams, a reduction in the syllabus to retain “core essentials” and thrust on “experiential learning and critical thinking”.
In a significant shift from the 1986 policy, which pushed for a 10+2 structure of school education, the new NEP pitches for a “5+3+3+4” design corresponding to the age groups 3-8 years (foundational stage), 8-11 (preparatory), 11-14 (middle), and 14-18 (secondary). This brings early childhood education (also known as pre-school education for children of ages 3 to 5) under the ambit of formal schooling. The mid-day meal programme will be extended to pre-school children. The NEP says students until Class 5 should be taught in their mother tongue or regional language. The policy also proposes phasing out of all institutions offering single streams and that all universities and colleges must aim to become multidisciplinary by 2040.
Key Features of National Education Policy 2020
The National Education Policy 2020 has been introduced at the right time, to complement the process and vision of creating quality institutions, a culture of innovation, and a highly skilled workforce. It was about time that we initiated a process to transform the Educational Institutions in India, and provide them the ability to attain a certain level, that they can be compared to the likes of the best in the world.
The National Education Policy 2020 has been introduced at the right time, to complement the process and vision of creating quality institutions, a culture of innovation, and a highly skilled workforce. It was about time that we initiated a process to transform the Educational Institutions in India, and provide them the ability to attain a certain level, that they can be compared to the likes of the best in the world.
Instating a single regulator for higher education institutions, the scheme of multiple entry and exit options in degree courses, the low stakes board exams, and common entrance exams for universities, these are some of the key takeaways from this exciting new policy. Each of these reforms reflect on the fact that how India has evolved as an economy, and how we are prepared to be recognized as a force to reckon with. The Education system of a country is a true indicator of its economic strength, and the reforms of the NEP 2020, will certainly help India break into the top three economies of the world in the next 10 years.
Some of the Major Highlights of the National Education Policy 2020 are as follows:
1. Schooling to begin from the age of 3 years: The revised policy expands the age group of mandatory schooling from 6-14 years to 3-18 years. This new system will include 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre-schooling. The existing 10+2 structure of school curriculum will be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.
2. Mother tongue to be instated as medium of instruction: The National education policy 2020 has directed focus on students’ mother tongue as the medium of instruction even as it sticks to the ‘three language formula’ but also mandates that no language would be imposed on anyone.The policy indicates that wherever it is possible, the medium of instruction till at least Grade 5, but preferably up till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the mother tongue/local language/ regional language, both public and private schools, are to follow this norm.
3. A Single Overarching Body of Higher Education: The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will now set up a single overarching umbrella body for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. The same set of norms for regulation, accreditation, and academic standards, to be applied to both public and private higher education institutions.The Government aims to phase out the affiliation of colleges in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism is to be established for granting graded autonomy to colleges.
4. Separation between subject streams to be blurred: As per NEP 2020, the rigid separations between subjects’ stream will be done away with. Students will have the liberty to choose subjects they would like to study across streams. Vocational education to be introduced in schools from Class 6 and will include internships as well.
5. The Return of the FYUP Programme and No More Dropouts: The duration of the undergraduate degree will be either 3 or 4 years. Students will also be given multiple exit options within this period. Colleges will have to grant a certificate to a student if they would like to leave after completing 1 year in a discipline or field including vocational and professional areas, a diploma after 2 years of study, or a Bachelor’s degree after completing a three-year programme. An Academic Bank of Credit will be established by the Government for digitally storing academic credits earned from different Higher Educational Institutions so that these can be transferred and counted towards the final degree earned.
National education policy has managed to touch the untouched part of the education system in India. One of the bold propositions of this policy, states that either stand-alone institutions should transform themselves into a multidisciplinary mode or they will have to close. A complete freedom has been granted to state in several domains, under this policy.
We are aware that in reference to education, there has always been a bone of contention between State and Centre over the jurisdiction. The National Education Policy has taken measures to have a holistic outlook in this regard. It is important to note that education is a continuous process, and that is why it is essential to put more emphasis on connecting education to the environment. The recognition of the importance of life skills was long overdue, and the NEP has given more attention to developing life skills in the educational process.
Major Changes in New Education Policy of 2020.
The Indian government has replaced a 34-year-old National Policy on Education, framed in 1986, with the New Education Policy of 2020. The NEP makes sweeping reforms in school and higher education including teaching. Some of the biggest highlights of the NEP 2020 are a single regulator for higher education institutions, multiple entry and exit options in degree courses, discontinuation of MPhil programmes, low stakes board exams, and common entrance exams for universities.
Schooling starts at the age of 3 years now
The New Education Policy expands age group 6-14 years of mandatory schooling to 3-18 years of schooling. The NEP introduces hitherto uncovered three years of pre-schooling, age group of 3-6 years under the school curriculum. The new system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre-schooling. With an emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), the 10+2 structure of school curriculum 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.
Mother tongue as medium of instruction
The NEP puts focus on students’ mother tongue as the medium of instruction even as it sticks to the ‘three language formula’ but also mandates that no language would be imposed on anyone. The NEP only recommends the mother tongue as medium of instruction, and not make it compulsory. The policy document states that children learn and grasp non-trivial concepts more quickly in their home language. “Wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language, mother tongue, local language or the regional language. Thereafter, the home or local language shall continue to be taught as a language wherever possible. This will be followed by both public and private schools,” the policy states.
NO UGC, AICTE, NCTE
Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. Public and private higher education institutions will be governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards. Govt will phase out the affiliation of colleges in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism is to be established for granting graded autonomy to colleges.
Science, arts, commerce gets blurred
Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. Public and private higher education institutions will be governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards. Govt will phase out the affiliation of colleges in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism is to be established for granting graded autonomy to colleges.
Science, arts, commerce gets blurred
Under NEP 2020, there will be no rigid separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams. Students can select subjects of their liking across the streams. Vocational education will start in schools from the 6th grade, and will include internships.
FYUP Programme Returns & No More Dropouts
Under the NEP, undergraduate degree will be of either 3 or 4-year duration with multiple exit options within this period. College will be mandated to give certificate after completing 1 year in a discipline or field including vocational and professional areas, a diploma after 2 years of study, or a Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year programme. Govt will also establish an Academic Bank of Credit for digitally storing academic credits earned from different HEIs so that these can be transferred and counted towards final degree earned.
Opportunities of New Education Policy 2020
. The NEP signifies a huge milestone for India’s Education system, which will certainly make India an attractive destination for higher education world-wide. The policy is based on the pillars of “Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, Accountability” and will transform India into a vibrant knowledge hub. NEP 2020 emphasises systemic and institutional improvements to regulation, governance and promotion of multidisciplinary academics and research in Indian HEIs.
Challenges in the current Higher Education System
1. Fragmented higher education ecosystem
2. Poor learning outcomes and development of cognitive skills of students
3. Rigid, inflexible separation of disciplines for eg: An arts stream student cannot study any science related subject at HE.
4. Lack of quality higher education in socioeconomically challenged areas
5. Low teacher and institutional autonomy to innovate and excel
6. Inadequate career management and progression for faculty/institutional leaders
7. Lack of research funding across disciplines
8. Sub-optimal governance and leadership of HEIs
9. Poor regulatory mechanism that inhibits growth of excellent and innovative HEIs
10. Large number of affiliations to universities resulting in poor undergraduate performance
Key highlights of the New National Education Policy
1. The NEP brings about a range of changes in the system of higher education aiming to improve it with the goal of “creation of greater opportunities for individual employment. The key highlights from the new policy aim at:
a. Creating an HE system consisting large, multidisciplinary universities and colleges, with at least one in or near every district, and more HEIs across India which offer their programmes in local/Indian languages.
b. Shifting from a rigid HE curriculum to multidisciplinary undergraduate education.
c. Offering faculty and institutional autonomy.
d. Revamping the curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and student support for enhanced student experiences.
e. Reaffirming the integrity of faculty and institutional leadership positions through merit- appointments and career progression based on teaching, research, and service.
f. Establishing National Research Foundation to fund brightest, peer-reviewed research and to actively seed research in universities and colleges.
g. Improved Governance of HEIs by high qualified independent boards having academic and administrative autonomy.
h. “light but tight” regulation by a single regulator for higher education.
i. Giving increased access, equity, and inclusion through a range of measures such as offering scholarships by private/philanthropic universities for disadvantaged and underprivileged students.
j. Giving access to education to all learners (disadvantage/ learners with special needs) through online education, and Open Distance Learning (ODL).
2. A goal of the NEP is to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education, including vocational education to 50part percent by 2035 from 26.3 percent as of 2018.
3. NEP will replace the fragmented nature of India’s existing higher education system and instead bring together higher education institutions (HEIs) into large multidisciplinary universities, colleges, and HEI clusters/knowledge hubs. The policy states that over time, single-stream HEIs will be phased out over time.
4. For now, while the NEP states that a system of granting graded autonomy based on accreditation will be adopted for colleges, eventually, the aim is to transform them into an autonomous degree-granting college, or a constituent college of a university.
5. New and existing HEIs will evolve into three distinct categories:
i. Research Universities (RUs).
ii. Teaching Universities (TUs).
iii. Autonomous Degree Granting Colleges (ACs).
Effective Governance Structure for HEIs
The new policy strives to create a fine balance ensuring ‘minimal government and maximum governance’ in the HEIs and facilitating continued excellence in education and research. The Ministry of Human Resource will be called Ministry of Education
Key changes that the policy advocates around improving the governance standards in HEIs:
1. For each HEI there will be a Board of Governors (BoG) consisting of highly qualified, competent, and dedicated individuals with proven capabilities and commitment to the institution.
2. The BoG of each institution will be empowered to govern the institution free of any political or external interference, make all appointments, including that of head of the institution, and take all decisions regarding governance.
3. National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA), will be set up to regulate in a ‘light but tight’ and facilitative manner, meaning that a few important matters - particularly financial integrity, good governance, and full online and offline public disclosure of all finances, procedures, faculty/staff, courses, and educational outcomes - will be very effectively regulated, while leaving the rest to the judgment of the HEIs, which is essential to institutional autonomy, innovation, and pursuit of excellence.
4. National Accreditation Authority (NAA) will be tasked to provide accreditation to HEIs and in the long run it will become a binary process in line with global practice.
5. A new General Education Council (GEC) shall be set up to frame expected learning outcomes for higher education programmes, also referred to as ‘graduate attributes.’
6. National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) will be formulated by the GEC and will be in sync with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). Higher education qualifications leading to a degree/diploma/certificate will be described by the NHEQF in terms of such learning outcomes. In addition, the GEC will set up facilitative norms for issues, such as credit transfer, equivalence, etc. through the NHEQF.
7. Higher Education Grants Commission (HEGC) will be created and will take care of funding and financing of higher education based on transparent criteria, including the Institutional Development Plans, (IDPs) prepared by the institutions and the progress made in the implementation of the IDPs. HEGC will be entrusted with disbursement of scholarships and on developmental funds for new focus areas and expanding quality programme offerings in HEIs across disciplines and fields.
8. The professional councils, such as ICAR, VCI and NCTE etc, referred to as Professional Standard Setting Bodies (PSSBs) will be invited to be members of the GEC. As members of the GEC, they would specify the curriculum framework, against which educational institutions will prepare their own curricula. They would also set the standards or expectations in focussed fields of learning and practice while having no regulatory role.
9. The regulatory system, with the National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) is set to function as one single regulator for the higher education sector, including teacher education, but excluding medical and legal education.
10. Mode of Education to become more flexible (blended approach). National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) would be created. E-courses will be developed in eight regional languages initially and virtual labs will be developed
11. National Research Foundation (NRF) to promote high quality research. NRF will be soon set-up and it would look after funding, mentoring, and building ‘quality of research’ in India. The NRF aims to fund researchers working across streams in India. In order to bring non-science disciplines of research in its ambit, NRF will fund research projects across four major disciplines –Sciences; Technology; Social Sciences; and Arts and Humanities.
NEP’s Student-centric approach
As a school student:
· For schools, the purpose is to make learning less stressful and more learner oriented. New subjects like coding will be introduced at an earlier level, from class 6, to modernize the syllabi, as per the policy.
· The NEP also envisages exams for students from Class 3 onwards. All students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8, which will be conducted by the appropriate authority. Board exams for grades 10 and 12 will be continued, but redesigned with holistic development as the aim
· The policy states that the Government of India will constitute a ‘Gender Inclusion Fund’ to build the nation’s capacity to provide equitable quality education for all girls as well as transgender students
· A key highlight of the New Education Policy is establishing a common guiding set of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) that will be developed by 2022, by the National Council for Technical Education (NCTE)
· The NEP sticks to the ‘three-language formula’ while emphasising that no language would be imposed on anyone. The policy document also lays emphasis on Sanskrit, which it calls an important modern language mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Sanskrit will be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an important, enriching option for students, including as an option in the three-language formula.
· Board exams will be made ‘easier’, as they will test primarily core capacities and competencies, stress will be reduced to students and parents. The policy also suggests options to make exams stress-free. For instance, school boards could provide options to students on whether they want to take a tough maths exam or the comparatively easier version.
As a Higher Education student:
The NEP is more student centric, giving flexibility to students to pursue their passion at the same time enhancing their skills enabling them to become more employable.
· Undergraduate degrees will be of either a three or four-year duration, with multiple exit options within this period, with appropriate certifications for those dropping out at a certain point in the course. HEIs will also be able to offer masters courses of different designs, based on the undergraduate degree of the student.
· The NEP replaces homogenous format (arts and science) to concept of singular streams (arts/science) called Liberal Education
· The notion of a physical campus or geographical location to dissolve giving flexibility to students to study either in a national or an international institution
· A multidisciplinary approach to implement an “Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)”, which will be able to digitally store academic credits earned from various recognised HEIs (national and international). This will allow degrees from an HEI to be awarded considering credits earned.
ABC explained :
1. Up to grade 5 pre-schools: a new basic learning program will be created by government for parents to teach children up to 3 years at home and for preschool 3 to 6
2. Grades 6 to 8 Middle School, - From 6th standard onwards vocational courses available
3. Grades 8 to 11 High School - From 8th to 11 students can choose subjects
4. Grades 12 onwards Graduation: Any Degree will be 4 years and all graduate courses will have major and minor, for example, a science student can have Physics as Major and Music as a minor. Any combination can be chosen with multiple entry and exit from any course. The credit system for graduation for each year will allow students to receive credits which can be utilized later should they decide to take a break in the course and complete later. The syllabus will be reduced to core knowledge of any subject only and more focus on student practical and application knowledge
Top 100 Universities across globe will be allowed to set their campuses in India. These foreign universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India.
As a researcher
National Research Foundation (NRF): A robust and responsive research ecosystem is needed to accelerate the pace of economic, social and academic pursuit in India. The NRF will be an institution specially set up to help channel systematic investment in research and innovation for India which has been low (0.69% of GDP) in comparison to the US (2.8%), China (2.1%) Israel (4.3%) and South Korea (4.2%).
NRF will promote a culture of research in Indian Education ecosystem by:
a. funding competitive peer-reviewed grant proposals of all types and across all disciplines
b. seeding, growing, and facilitating research at academic institutions, particularly at universities and colleges where research is currently in a nascent stage, through mentoring of such institutions
c. acting as a liaison between researchers and government as well as industry, so that research scholars are constantly made aware of the most urgent and current national research issues
d. ensuring policymakers are constantly made aware of the latest research breakthroughs; this would allow breakthroughs to be brought into policy and/or implementation in an optimal fashion;
e. recognising outstanding research and progress achieved via NRF funding/mentoring across subjects, through prizes and special seminars recognising the work of the researchers.
NEP and Teachers’ development
1. Stand-alone Teacher Education institutions will be converted into multi-disciplinary institutions by 2030 offering 4-year integrated teacher preparation programme.
2. All fresh Ph.D. entrants, irrespective of discipline, will be required to take credit-based courses in teaching/education/pedagogy/writing related to their chosen PhD subject during their doctoral training period.
3. PhD students will also have a minimum number of hours of actual teaching experience gathered through teaching assistantships and other means. Ph.D. programmes at universities around the country will be reoriented for this purpose.
A National Mission for Mentoring will be established, with a large pool of outstanding senior/retired faculty – including those with the ability to teach in Indian languages to provide mentorship to university/ college teachers.
Implementation of New Education Policy of 2020.
The NEP only provides a broad direction and is not mandatory to follow. Since education is a concurrent subject, the reforms proposed can only be implemented collaboratively by the Centre and the states. This will not happen immediately. The incumbent government has set a target of 2040 to implement the entire policy. The government plans to set up subject-wise committees with members from relevant ministries at both the central and state levels to develop implementation plans for each aspect of the NEP. The plans will list out actions to be taken by multiple bodies, including the HRD Ministry, state Education Departments, school Boards, NCERT, Central Advisory Board of Education and National Testing Agency, among others. Planning will be followed by a yearly joint review of progress against targets set.
Implementation of regional language in English-medium schools: Such emphasis is not new. Most government schools in the country are doing this already. As for private schools, it’s unlikely that they will be asked to change their medium of instruction. A senior ministry official clarified that “the provision on mother tongue as medium of instruction was not compulsory for states. “Education is a concurrent subject. Which is why the policy clearly states that kids will be taught in their mother tongue or regional language ‘wherever possible.” The NEP acknowledges that children live in multilingual families, “Teachers will be encouraged to use a bilingual approach, including bilingual teaching-learning materials, with those students whose home language may be different from the medium of instruction.”
The government plan to open up higher education for foreign players: The document states universities from among the top 100 in the world will be able to set up campuses in India. While it doesn’t elaborate the parameters to define the top 100, the incumbent government may use the ‘QS World University Rankings’ as it has relied on these in the past while selecting universities for the ‘Institute of Eminence’ status. However, none of this can start unless the HRD Ministry brings in a new law that includes details of how foreign universities will operate in India.
1. Fragmented higher education ecosystem
2. Poor learning outcomes and development of cognitive skills of students
3. Rigid, inflexible separation of disciplines for eg: An arts stream student cannot study any science related subject at HE.
4. Lack of quality higher education in socioeconomically challenged areas
5. Low teacher and institutional autonomy to innovate and excel
6. Inadequate career management and progression for faculty/institutional leaders
7. Lack of research funding across disciplines
8. Sub-optimal governance and leadership of HEIs
9. Poor regulatory mechanism that inhibits growth of excellent and innovative HEIs
10. Large number of affiliations to universities resulting in poor undergraduate performance
Key highlights of the New National Education Policy
1. The NEP brings about a range of changes in the system of higher education aiming to improve it with the goal of “creation of greater opportunities for individual employment. The key highlights from the new policy aim at:
a. Creating an HE system consisting large, multidisciplinary universities and colleges, with at least one in or near every district, and more HEIs across India which offer their programmes in local/Indian languages.
b. Shifting from a rigid HE curriculum to multidisciplinary undergraduate education.
c. Offering faculty and institutional autonomy.
d. Revamping the curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and student support for enhanced student experiences.
e. Reaffirming the integrity of faculty and institutional leadership positions through merit- appointments and career progression based on teaching, research, and service.
f. Establishing National Research Foundation to fund brightest, peer-reviewed research and to actively seed research in universities and colleges.
g. Improved Governance of HEIs by high qualified independent boards having academic and administrative autonomy.
h. “light but tight” regulation by a single regulator for higher education.
i. Giving increased access, equity, and inclusion through a range of measures such as offering scholarships by private/philanthropic universities for disadvantaged and underprivileged students.
j. Giving access to education to all learners (disadvantage/ learners with special needs) through online education, and Open Distance Learning (ODL).
2. A goal of the NEP is to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education, including vocational education to 50part percent by 2035 from 26.3 percent as of 2018.
3. NEP will replace the fragmented nature of India’s existing higher education system and instead bring together higher education institutions (HEIs) into large multidisciplinary universities, colleges, and HEI clusters/knowledge hubs. The policy states that over time, single-stream HEIs will be phased out over time.
4. For now, while the NEP states that a system of granting graded autonomy based on accreditation will be adopted for colleges, eventually, the aim is to transform them into an autonomous degree-granting college, or a constituent college of a university.
5. New and existing HEIs will evolve into three distinct categories:
i. Research Universities (RUs).
ii. Teaching Universities (TUs).
iii. Autonomous Degree Granting Colleges (ACs).
Effective Governance Structure for HEIs
The new policy strives to create a fine balance ensuring ‘minimal government and maximum governance’ in the HEIs and facilitating continued excellence in education and research. The Ministry of Human Resource will be called Ministry of Education
Key changes that the policy advocates around improving the governance standards in HEIs:
1. For each HEI there will be a Board of Governors (BoG) consisting of highly qualified, competent, and dedicated individuals with proven capabilities and commitment to the institution.
2. The BoG of each institution will be empowered to govern the institution free of any political or external interference, make all appointments, including that of head of the institution, and take all decisions regarding governance.
3. National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA), will be set up to regulate in a ‘light but tight’ and facilitative manner, meaning that a few important matters - particularly financial integrity, good governance, and full online and offline public disclosure of all finances, procedures, faculty/staff, courses, and educational outcomes - will be very effectively regulated, while leaving the rest to the judgment of the HEIs, which is essential to institutional autonomy, innovation, and pursuit of excellence.
4. National Accreditation Authority (NAA) will be tasked to provide accreditation to HEIs and in the long run it will become a binary process in line with global practice.
5. A new General Education Council (GEC) shall be set up to frame expected learning outcomes for higher education programmes, also referred to as ‘graduate attributes.’
6. National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) will be formulated by the GEC and will be in sync with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). Higher education qualifications leading to a degree/diploma/certificate will be described by the NHEQF in terms of such learning outcomes. In addition, the GEC will set up facilitative norms for issues, such as credit transfer, equivalence, etc. through the NHEQF.
7. Higher Education Grants Commission (HEGC) will be created and will take care of funding and financing of higher education based on transparent criteria, including the Institutional Development Plans, (IDPs) prepared by the institutions and the progress made in the implementation of the IDPs. HEGC will be entrusted with disbursement of scholarships and on developmental funds for new focus areas and expanding quality programme offerings in HEIs across disciplines and fields.
8. The professional councils, such as ICAR, VCI and NCTE etc, referred to as Professional Standard Setting Bodies (PSSBs) will be invited to be members of the GEC. As members of the GEC, they would specify the curriculum framework, against which educational institutions will prepare their own curricula. They would also set the standards or expectations in focussed fields of learning and practice while having no regulatory role.
9. The regulatory system, with the National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) is set to function as one single regulator for the higher education sector, including teacher education, but excluding medical and legal education.
10. Mode of Education to become more flexible (blended approach). National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) would be created. E-courses will be developed in eight regional languages initially and virtual labs will be developed
11. National Research Foundation (NRF) to promote high quality research. NRF will be soon set-up and it would look after funding, mentoring, and building ‘quality of research’ in India. The NRF aims to fund researchers working across streams in India. In order to bring non-science disciplines of research in its ambit, NRF will fund research projects across four major disciplines –Sciences; Technology; Social Sciences; and Arts and Humanities.
NEP’s Student-centric approach
As a school student:
· For schools, the purpose is to make learning less stressful and more learner oriented. New subjects like coding will be introduced at an earlier level, from class 6, to modernize the syllabi, as per the policy.
· The NEP also envisages exams for students from Class 3 onwards. All students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8, which will be conducted by the appropriate authority. Board exams for grades 10 and 12 will be continued, but redesigned with holistic development as the aim
· The policy states that the Government of India will constitute a ‘Gender Inclusion Fund’ to build the nation’s capacity to provide equitable quality education for all girls as well as transgender students
· A key highlight of the New Education Policy is establishing a common guiding set of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) that will be developed by 2022, by the National Council for Technical Education (NCTE)
· The NEP sticks to the ‘three-language formula’ while emphasising that no language would be imposed on anyone. The policy document also lays emphasis on Sanskrit, which it calls an important modern language mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Sanskrit will be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an important, enriching option for students, including as an option in the three-language formula.
· Board exams will be made ‘easier’, as they will test primarily core capacities and competencies, stress will be reduced to students and parents. The policy also suggests options to make exams stress-free. For instance, school boards could provide options to students on whether they want to take a tough maths exam or the comparatively easier version.
As a Higher Education student:
The NEP is more student centric, giving flexibility to students to pursue their passion at the same time enhancing their skills enabling them to become more employable.
· Undergraduate degrees will be of either a three or four-year duration, with multiple exit options within this period, with appropriate certifications for those dropping out at a certain point in the course. HEIs will also be able to offer masters courses of different designs, based on the undergraduate degree of the student.
· The NEP replaces homogenous format (arts and science) to concept of singular streams (arts/science) called Liberal Education
· The notion of a physical campus or geographical location to dissolve giving flexibility to students to study either in a national or an international institution
· A multidisciplinary approach to implement an “Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)”, which will be able to digitally store academic credits earned from various recognised HEIs (national and international). This will allow degrees from an HEI to be awarded considering credits earned.
ABC explained :
1. Up to grade 5 pre-schools: a new basic learning program will be created by government for parents to teach children up to 3 years at home and for preschool 3 to 6
2. Grades 6 to 8 Middle School, - From 6th standard onwards vocational courses available
3. Grades 8 to 11 High School - From 8th to 11 students can choose subjects
4. Grades 12 onwards Graduation: Any Degree will be 4 years and all graduate courses will have major and minor, for example, a science student can have Physics as Major and Music as a minor. Any combination can be chosen with multiple entry and exit from any course. The credit system for graduation for each year will allow students to receive credits which can be utilized later should they decide to take a break in the course and complete later. The syllabus will be reduced to core knowledge of any subject only and more focus on student practical and application knowledge
Top 100 Universities across globe will be allowed to set their campuses in India. These foreign universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India.
As a researcher
National Research Foundation (NRF): A robust and responsive research ecosystem is needed to accelerate the pace of economic, social and academic pursuit in India. The NRF will be an institution specially set up to help channel systematic investment in research and innovation for India which has been low (0.69% of GDP) in comparison to the US (2.8%), China (2.1%) Israel (4.3%) and South Korea (4.2%).
NRF will promote a culture of research in Indian Education ecosystem by:
a. funding competitive peer-reviewed grant proposals of all types and across all disciplines
b. seeding, growing, and facilitating research at academic institutions, particularly at universities and colleges where research is currently in a nascent stage, through mentoring of such institutions
c. acting as a liaison between researchers and government as well as industry, so that research scholars are constantly made aware of the most urgent and current national research issues
d. ensuring policymakers are constantly made aware of the latest research breakthroughs; this would allow breakthroughs to be brought into policy and/or implementation in an optimal fashion;
e. recognising outstanding research and progress achieved via NRF funding/mentoring across subjects, through prizes and special seminars recognising the work of the researchers.
NEP and Teachers’ development
1. Stand-alone Teacher Education institutions will be converted into multi-disciplinary institutions by 2030 offering 4-year integrated teacher preparation programme.
2. All fresh Ph.D. entrants, irrespective of discipline, will be required to take credit-based courses in teaching/education/pedagogy/writing related to their chosen PhD subject during their doctoral training period.
3. PhD students will also have a minimum number of hours of actual teaching experience gathered through teaching assistantships and other means. Ph.D. programmes at universities around the country will be reoriented for this purpose.
A National Mission for Mentoring will be established, with a large pool of outstanding senior/retired faculty – including those with the ability to teach in Indian languages to provide mentorship to university/ college teachers.
Implementation of New Education Policy of 2020.
The NEP only provides a broad direction and is not mandatory to follow. Since education is a concurrent subject, the reforms proposed can only be implemented collaboratively by the Centre and the states. This will not happen immediately. The incumbent government has set a target of 2040 to implement the entire policy. The government plans to set up subject-wise committees with members from relevant ministries at both the central and state levels to develop implementation plans for each aspect of the NEP. The plans will list out actions to be taken by multiple bodies, including the HRD Ministry, state Education Departments, school Boards, NCERT, Central Advisory Board of Education and National Testing Agency, among others. Planning will be followed by a yearly joint review of progress against targets set.
Implementation of regional language in English-medium schools: Such emphasis is not new. Most government schools in the country are doing this already. As for private schools, it’s unlikely that they will be asked to change their medium of instruction. A senior ministry official clarified that “the provision on mother tongue as medium of instruction was not compulsory for states. “Education is a concurrent subject. Which is why the policy clearly states that kids will be taught in their mother tongue or regional language ‘wherever possible.” The NEP acknowledges that children live in multilingual families, “Teachers will be encouraged to use a bilingual approach, including bilingual teaching-learning materials, with those students whose home language may be different from the medium of instruction.”
The government plan to open up higher education for foreign players: The document states universities from among the top 100 in the world will be able to set up campuses in India. While it doesn’t elaborate the parameters to define the top 100, the incumbent government may use the ‘QS World University Rankings’ as it has relied on these in the past while selecting universities for the ‘Institute of Eminence’ status. However, none of this can start unless the HRD Ministry brings in a new law that includes details of how foreign universities will operate in India.
It is not clear if a new law would enthuse the best universities abroad to set up campuses in India. In 2013, at the time the UPA-II was trying to push a similar Bill, The Indian Express had reported that the top 20 global universities, including Yale, Cambridge, MIT and Stanford, University of Edinburgh and Bristol, had shown no interest in entering the Indian market. Participation of foreign universities in India is currently limited to them entering into collaborative twinning programmes, sharing faculty with partnering institutions and offering distance education. Over 650 foreign education providers have such arrangements in India.
The four-year multidisciplinary bachelor’s programme: This pitch, interestingly, comes six years after Delhi University was forced to scrap such a four-year undergraduate programme at the incumbent government’s behest. Under the four-year programme proposed in the new NEP, students can exit after one year with a certificate, after two years with a diploma, and after three years with a bachelor’s degree. “Four-year bachelor’s programmes generally include a certain amount of research work and the student will get deeper knowledge in the subject he or she decides to major in. After four years, a BA student should be able to enter a research degree programme directly depending on how well he or she has performed… However, master’s degree programmes will continue to function as they do, following which student may choose to carry on for a PhD programme,” said scientist and former UGC chairman V S Chauhan.
Impact of removing the M.Phil programme: Chauhan said this should not affect the higher education trajectory at all. “In normal course, after a master’s degree a student can register for a PhD programme. This is the current practice almost all over the world. In most universities, including those in the UK (Oxford, Cambridge and others), M Phil was a middle research degree between a master’s and a PhD. Those who have entered MPhil, more often than not ended their studies with a PhD degree. MPhil degrees have slowly been phased out in favour of a direct PhD programme.”
The IITs are already moving in that direction. IIT-Delhi has a humanities department and set up a public policy department recently. IIT-Kharagpur has a School of Medical Science and Technology. Asked about multiple disciplines, IIT-Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao said, “Some of the best universities in the US such as MIT have very strong humanities departments. Take the case of a civil engineer. Knowing how to build a dam is not going to solve a problem. He needs to know the environmental and social impact of building the dam. Many engineers are also becoming entrepreneurs. Should they not know something about economics? A lot more factors go into anything related to engineering today.”
Conclusion
NEP has addressed the social and gender gap in the education system. The policy has stated that there is an evident gap in the representation of the various social groups in the education system. It has emphasized on the need to overcome the same with regulated interventions. NEP also identified the gender gap in the education system and suggested a mechanism to address it. Quality of teaching is one of the primary agendas of the policy as well. Teachers are integral to the education system, and without improving the way teachers are trained, it will be difficult to improve the quality of education.
National Education Policy 2020, is an attempt to address most of the grievances of the education system, which have been pending for decades. This is certainly a historic moment for all the stakeholders involved, be it the teachers, students or parents. It is intriguing to see how the norms of this policy will be implemented, but we can be sure that this is a new age for the Indian Education landscape.
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