The New education policy is providing students with new and advanced schemes which will motivate and inspire students to choose to study in India as in comparison to go and study abroad. For an institution to run and to set up rules and regulations for designing high levels of status and standard for studying and welfare of the students, in addition to overcome expectations and liability; the strategies, schemes and committees are very necessary. The foundation pillars of the policy are based on access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability.
What actually is the National education policy? Rajiv Gandhi Government in 1986 made this policy to encourage literacy in India. The policy offered education to students from junior schooling to higher studies in villages, towns and cities. Primarily the policy was declared by the Indra Gandhi government in 1968. Later, it was again offered by the Rajiv Gandhi Government in 1986. Afterwards, in 1992 P.V Narasimha Rao again altered it. And again after 34 years now in 2020 the policy was again announced by the Modi government on 29 July 2020. And on 29 July 2020, Union cabinet of India approved NEP outlines of India’s new education system. The prime alteration that Ministry of education, of the government of India made in the NEP 2020 was the GDP investment to increase from 1.6% to 6% and the Gross enrolment Ratio to be increased to 50% by 2035.
Main aim of NEP 2020: The main prime reason for India to offer NEP is to make India a universal knowledge centre and provide welfare and advantage to all the children in India To anticipate and offer a better and advanced education system for the school going students which favors’ all the needs and requirements of children in India at various levels of their development. Out of many recommendations, the 5+3+3+4 structure replaced 10+2 curriculum, which covers 3 years of anganwadi pre-schooling and 12 years of schooling, due to which a student can miss a lot of links between those phases. Policy promises Digital learning and courses that would be expanded into 8 different languages. And aims to achieve 100 % youth and adult literacy and to monitor the progress of scholarships receiving students. It emphasizes more over languages than basic education. It gives students to study 4 years of graduation and more 2 years of masters and as now the M Phil has been removed from the curriculum. And makes a Ph.D degree necessary for research students. And moreover it claims to encourage research and innovation just to make India an international knowledge hub. The policy claims to provide high quality access to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) to be delivered in parts. Also NEP 2020 has recommended the core curriculum as well as the reduction in the syllabi and has given the concept of open learning at school level. But as the NEP 2020 claims to decrease the load syllabi of the students, it also recommends introducing students of 6th class with coding and experimental learning. The scheme of midday meal (MDM) has been extended and breakfast is included in it. Every institute will have counselor and social workers as the policy prioritizes both the physical and mental health of students. The policy gives the national testing agency the power to conduct competitive entrance examinations and for the admissions of students anywhere across the country. NEP 2020 recommends the fee structure of both government and private institutions to be fixed. By ten years from, the policy makes 4 year integrated Bed degree the compulsory and minimum qualification for the teaching staff. The policy also anticipates that the educational organizations will be the prime body to play an important role in providing quality education to the students.
The NEP 2020 has removed M Phil degree from the curriculum and has asked teachers to be ready for the assessment reforms by 2023. This step will improve the quality of teachers and their way of teaching.
Pros And Cons Of The Policy Enumerated Below :_
PROS: The new education policy 2020 provides the new structure which includes 12 years of schooling and three years of anganwaadi and pre schooling. All the institutions across the country will teach and study the same subjects and the same syllabi. Mother tongue and the local language will be the medium of teaching in all schools till 5th standard. Students will be introduced with coding, innovational things and vocational subjects from class 6th. And ethics education to be provided to them from the beginning. Students will be helped with having practical knowledge by giving internships to them. The National test agency will have the power to conduct multiple entrance examinations and give admissions to students. The exit system is a positive power given to the students who wish to change. Their course after the first year if they do not find the present one interesting and will be provided with a certificate for the first year’s study. The NEP 2020 has removed M Phil degree from the curriculum and has asked teachers to be ready for the assessment reforms by 2023. This step will improve the quality of teachers and their way of teaching. Moreover the policy claims to invest 6% of the GDP in the education zone of the country.
CONS: Making local languages the medium of teaching in schools is a nice step to promote the local language but keeping the present era in mind and not teaching students in English can create a fuss in their future when they decide to move to a different place for learning or job. NEP 2020 recommends making 4 year bed degree compulsory and assessing future teachers time to time but they didn’t said anything about the government teachers, Giving students the right to exit a course when they are not interested in it can be misused and create a mess, so the government should decide something about the limits of doing all this.
To Conclude: The new education policy in writing can be good, motivating and impressive but when the time of implementation comes; it requires proper dedication and devotion for it. And it still needs to be discussed over.
(The author is a freelancer and writes frequently for “Kashmir Horizon”. Views are exclusively his own) [email protected]