National Education Policy 2020

 

The Union Cabinet approved a new National Education Policy on July 29, after a gap of 34-year. The National Education Policy, 2020 is intended to provide an all-encompassing vision and comprehensive framework for both school and higher education across the country.

What are some of the key proposals?

The NEP recommends changing the school curricular structure from the current 10+2 with a 5+3+3+4 structure, bringing children from ages 3 to 5 years within the formal education system for the first time, and safeguarding curricular continuity in the last four years. A mission for foundational literacy and numeracy, free breakfasts being added to free lunches in government schools, vocational education along with internships from Class 6, and proposed redesign of the board examinations are some other major initiatives for school education.

For higher education, a new umbrella regulator has been proposed with separate verticals for regulation, standard-setting, accreditation, and funding. It will absorb arts and science, technical and teacher education into its fold, replacing several existing regulatory bodies, and also ensure a level playing field for public and private players. Top foreign universities will be allowed to set up campuses in India. For students, the biggest change may be the introduction of four-year undergraduate degrees, with options for entry and exit at various stages, a credit transfer system, and the abolition of the M Phil program.

What is the timeline for implementation?

The policy is meant to transform the education system by 2040. Some proposals will be implemented immediately, starting with the change in the name of the Ministry of Human Resource Development into the Ministry of Education. “There are over 100 action points from the Policy. Implementation will be done in phases, based on time, region, and types of institutions with Institutes of Eminence (IoEs) and Central Universities taking the lead,” said Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare. For instance, four-year undergraduate degrees with multiple entry-exit options will be introduced in the 20 IoEs from the 2020-21 academic year, while others continue with the existing three-year degree courses. Existing M.Phil students can continue until they complete their degree, although new admissions for the program will not be accepted.

The National Testing Agency will introduce a pilot version of the common entrance test by December 2020, which will be used for admission to all IoEs and central universities in 2021. Some Indian Institutes of Technology is working on developing the technical structure of the Academic Credit Bank, which will also be established by December, and become applicable to all new students joining central universities next year.

The National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission which is to be implemented by 2025 will be launched by the end of this year, said Mr. Khare. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will introduce the curricular framework for the new school structure, including early childhood care, by the next academic year.