The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on July 29, 2020, is a landmark document that aims to transform the Indian education system and make it more equitable, inclusive, and holistic. The NEP 2020 covers various aspects of school education, such as curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, teacher education, infrastructure, governance, and financing. It proposes several reforms that have the potential to improve the quality and outcomes of school education in India. However, these reforms also face many challenges and risks of being diluted or delayed in their implementation. Therefore, it is imperative that the stakeholders involved in the education sector work together to ensure that the school reforms under NEP 2020 are not allowed to languish.
What are the major school reforms under NEP 2020?
The NEP 2020 envisages a shift from the existing 10+2 structure of school education to a new 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to the age groups of 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively. This structure will include 12 years of formal schooling and three years of pre-schooling or early childhood care and education (ECCE). The NEP 2020 also emphasizes the importance of teaching in the mother tongue or regional language up to at least grade 5 (preferably till grade 8 and beyond), and introducing Sanskrit and foreign languages from the secondary level. The NEP 2020 also proposes to make the school curriculum more flexible, interdisciplinary, and integrated, with a focus on developing core competencies and higher-order skills among students. The NEP 2020 also aims to revamp the assessment system in school education by making it more continuous, formative, and competency-based. It also suggests reducing the stakes of board exams and making them more modular and application-oriented. The NEP 2020 also advocates for creating a National Assessment Centre (PARAKH) to set norms and standards for student assessment and evaluation across boards. The NEP 2020 also envisages a comprehensive transformation of teacher education by ensuring that all teachers are trained in accordance with the National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE) by 2030. It also proposes to establish a National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) to enhance the quality and professionalism of teachers. The NEP 2020 also calls for strengthening the school infrastructure, governance, and management by creating school complexes or clusters, empowering local bodies and communities, establishing independent State School Standards Authority (SSSA), and increasing public investment in education to reach 6% of GDP.
Why are these reforms important and necessary?
The school reforms under NEP 2020 are important and necessary because they address some of the key challenges and gaps that plague the Indian education system. Some of these challenges are:
- Low access and retention: According to the latest data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2018-19, there are still about 27 million children out of school in India. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the secondary level is only 77.7%, which means that almost one-fourth of the eligible children are not enrolled in secondary schools. The dropout rate at the secondary level is also high at 17.3%, which indicates that many students do not complete their schooling.
- Poor learning outcomes: According to the latest National Achievement Survey (NAS) conducted by NCERT in 2017, only 42% of grade 8 students could answer correctly questions on language skills, only 40% could answer correctly questions on mathematics skills, and only 39% could answer correctly questions on science skills. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) conducted by Pratham in 2018, only 50% of grade 5 students could read a grade 2 level text, only 28% could do a simple division problem, and only 43% could tell time correctly.
- Inadequate teacher quality and quantity: According to UDISE 2018-19, there is a shortage of about 9 lakh teachers in elementary schools and about 1lakh teachers in secondary schools in India. Moreover, many teachers are not adequately trained or qualified for their roles. According to UDISE 2018-19, only 65% of elementary school teachers and only 79% of secondary school teachers have completed professional training. According to NAS 2017, only 47% of grade 8 teachers could answer correctly questions on language pedagogy, only 46% could answer correctly questions on mathematics pedagogy, and only 45% could answer correctly questions on science pedagogy.
- Rigid and outdated curriculum and pedagogy: The current school curriculum and pedagogy are largely based on the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005, which is more than 15 years old and does not reflect the changing needs and aspirations of the 21st century learners. The curriculum is also overloaded with factual information and rote learning, which does not foster critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills among students. The pedagogy is also teacher-centric and exam-oriented, which does not encourage active learning, exploration, and discovery among students.
- Inequitable and inefficient governance and financing: The school education system in India is characterized by multiple layers of governance and administration, which often leads to duplication, fragmentation, and lack of coordination among various stakeholders. The system is also plagued by corruption, nepotism, and politicization, which affect the quality and accountability of service delivery. The financing of school education is also inadequate and inequitable, as the public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP has remained stagnant at around 3% for the last decade. Moreover, the allocation and utilization of funds are often not aligned with the needs and priorities of the schools and students.
The school reforms under NEP 2020 aim to address these challenges and gaps by making the education system more accessible, inclusive, learner-centric, skill-based, holistic, and quality-oriented. These reforms are expected to improve the learning outcomes of students, enhance the professional development of teachers, make the curriculum and pedagogy more relevant and flexible, strengthen the governance and management of schools, and increase the public investment in education.
What are the challenges and risks of implementing these reforms?
The school reforms under NEP 2020 are ambitious and visionary, but they also pose many challenges and risks of implementation. Some of these are:
- Resistance from stakeholders: The implementation of the school reforms under NEP 2020 will require a paradigm shift in the mindset and behavior of various stakeholders involved in the education sector, such as teachers, parents, students, administrators, policymakers, etc. However, many of these stakeholders may resist or oppose the changes due to various reasons, such as lack of awareness or understanding, fear of losing power or privilege, attachment to tradition or status quo, etc. For instance, some teachers may resist the shift from rote learning to competency-based learning because they may feel insecure about their own knowledge or skills or because they may find it difficult to adopt new pedagogical methods or tools. Similarly, some parents may resist the shift from marks to grades or from board exams to school exams because they may perceive them as less reliable or valid indicators of their children's performance or potential. Therefore, it is important to create a conducive environment for change by sensitizing and engaging all the stakeholders through effective communication, consultation, collaboration, and capacity building.
- Lack of resources and capacities: The implementation of the school reforms under NEP 2020 will also require a substantial amount of resources and capacities at various levels of the education system. However, many states and districts may face constraints in terms of availability or allocation of funds, infrastructure, human resources, technology, etc. For instance, some states may face challenges in providing adequate pre-schooling facilities or teaching in mother tongue or regional language due to lack of physical space or trained teachers or learning materials. Similarly, some districts may face challenges in creating school complexes or clusters or conducting formative assessments due to lack of transportation or connectivity or data systems. Therefore, it is important to ensure that adequate resources and capacities are mobilized and utilized efficiently and effectively for implementing the reforms.
- Lack of coordination and coherence: The implementation of the school reforms under NEP 2020 will also require a high degree of coordination and coherence among various agencies and institutions involved in the education sector at different levels. However, many states and districts may face difficulties in ensuring alignment or integration of policies, plans, programs, standards, norms,
guidelines etc across different domains such as curriculum development , teacher education , student assessment , school accreditation , etc . For instance , some states may face challenges in aligning their state curriculum frameworks with the national curriculum framework or their state teacher education councils with the national council for teacher education . Similarly , some districts may face challenges in integrating their district education plans with the state education plans or their school development plans with the school complex plans . Therefore , it is important to establish clear roles , responsibilities , mechanisms , and platforms for coordination and coherence among various actors and agencies at different levels .
How can these challenges and risks be overcome?
The successful implementation of the school reforms under NEP 2020 will depend largely on how well these challenges and risks are anticipated , addressed , monitored , and mitigated . Some possible strategies for overcoming these challenges and risks are :
- Developing a clear vision , roadmap , timeline
Source:
(1) NEP 2020: Proposed reforms for School & Higher Education - Shiksha. https://www.shiksha.com/news/nep-2020-proposed-reforms-for-school-higher-education-blogId-43595.
(2) New Education Policy 2020: 15 big reforms in schools, higher education .... https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy-politics/story/new-education-policy-2020-15-big-reforms-in-schools-higher-education-explained-268885-2020-08-01.
(3) NEP, 2020 ASSESSMENT REFORMS - Ministry of Education. https://www.education.gov.in/shikshakparv/docs/Examination_and_Assessment_Reforms.pdf.
(4) Press Information Bureau. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1642049.
(5) Press Information Bureau. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1642061.
(6) New Education Policy (NEP) 2020: Detailed Highlights - Best BBA, BCA .... https://inspiria.edu.in/new-education-policy-2020/.
FAQ's
Which of the following is not offered to students as per NEP 2020?
Thus, it is clear that English as medium of instruction in all stages of schooling is not recommended by National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Which one of the following is not a characteristic of NEP 2020?
NEP 2020 does not focus on drills and practice and doesn't promote textbook or teacher-centric education and assessment of learning rather NEP 2020 emphasizes learning by real-life experience and assessment for learning.
निम्नलिखित में से कौन सी एनईपी 2020 की विशेषता नहीं है?
एनईपी 2020 अभ्यास और अभ्यास पर ध्यान केंद्रित नहीं करता है और पाठ्यपुस्तक या शिक्षक-केंद्रित शिक्षा और सीखने के मूल्यांकन को बढ़ावा नहीं देता है, बल्कि एनईपी 2020 वास्तविक जीवन के अनुभव और सीखने के लिए मूल्यांकन द्वारा सीखने पर जोर देता है।
Which of the following reforms was included in new education policy 2020?
Equitable and inclusive education - Special emphasis is given to Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SDGs). Ensuring Universal Access at All Levels of schooling from pre-primary school to Grade 12. New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure (5+3+3+4). Setting up of State School Standards Authority (SSSA).
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