The former President of South Africa and anti-apartheid revolutionary, Nelson Mandela once quoted “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. Education inculcates a sense of responsibility in individuals towards their rights and onus in uplifting the downtrodden, improves sophistication, self-confidence and standard of living, eradicates superstition and increases faith in science and practicality. All these traits lead to the transformation of a society from underdeveloped to developing and finally to a developed nation. The need for inclusion of provisions relating to education in the Fundamental Rights was realized way back by our Constituent Assembly member, Late Mr. Z H Lari in the Constituent Assembly in the year 1948 though unfortunately his suggestion was not approved but subsequently in the year 2002 Article 21A was inserted by the 86th Amendment Act, 2002 providing for free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years.
After 34 years, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India has amended the long-running National Education Policy of 1986 and formulated its New National Education Policy, 2020 on July 29, 2020 focusing on not just learning but also learning how to learn.
Key Highlights of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 are: –
Adieu 10+2, Welcome 5+3+3+4
Part 1 of NEP deals with School Education which contemplates modifying the old pattern of 10+2 to the new structure of 5+3+3+4.
| Sr. No. | Category | Level | Age Group |
| 1 | Foundation | Anganwadi/Pre-school/ Balvatika Class 1-2 | 3-6 years 6-8 years |
| 2 | Preparatory | Class 3-5 | 8-11 years |
| 3 | Middle | Class 6-8 | 11-14 years |
| 4 | Secondary | Class 9-12 | 14-18 years |
The foundation course is a strong base of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). ECCE is a step towards overall development of a child and improvement of high-quality infrastructure for better access of facilities to students. It also foresees the promotion of a child in Preparatory class/Balvatika prior to the age of 5 years where amenities of midday meal and heath checkups are made available to Preparatory class also.
Three Language Formula
Both public and private schools shall till Class 5 and preferable till Class 8, give instructions to the students in their local language/mother-tongue/home/regional language. 2NEP focuses on 3 language formula to promote multilingualism as well as national unity. Foreign languages shall be offered at the secondary level.
No Rigid Separation:
Under NEP, 2020 no strict separation has been made between arts, science and commerce, curricular and non-curricular, vocational and non-vocational subjects.
Concerned Ministries/Departments:
All the planning and implementation of ECCE curriculum will be carried out by Ministries of Human Resource Development, Women and Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare (HFW), and Tribal Affairs. Department of School Education (DSE) shall operate as the apex state-level body for monitoring and improving the public education system. The Ministries shall also articulate plans for obtaining 100% Gross Enrollment Ratio by 2030.
Commissions, Policies and Initiatives:
National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
This commission will be set up by the MHRD with a goal to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy in primary school by the year 2025.
National Book Promotion Policy
The said policy will be formulated to ensure the availability and accessibility of enjoyable and inspirational books in different genres, languages and levels.
Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat
Under the said initiative, every student in Class 6-8 will participate in a fun project on “The Languages of India” to learn about Indian languages and work towards the upliftment of literature.
National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE)
NCERT shall formulate a new NCFSE which is supposed to be revisited once in every 5-10 years.
Examinations
NEP deals with the continuance of Class 10th and 12th board examinations which shall be made ‘easier’. Further, students shall be allowed to take board exams 2 times in a year, one being main and the other improvement exam. School examinations shall be conducted by the appropriate authority in Class 3,5 and 8.
Internship Opportunities
Schools are encouraged to hold a 10-day bagless period from Class 6-12 during which students will intern with local vocational experts like carpenters, gardeners, etc.
Higher Education Institution (HEI)
Part 2 of the NEP deals with Higher Education. It aims to transform HEIs into large multidisciplinary universities, colleges, and HEI clusters/Knowledge Hubs with more than 3,000 students by 2040 driving towards increasing Gross Enrolment Ratio including vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035. University, as defined in paragraph 10.14 of NEP means a multidisciplinary institution which offers degrees in undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D programs.
UG Program
Undergraduate degrees shall be for a duration of 3 or 4 years with entry and exit points at various times. In case of a Master’s degree, it will be a 2-year program for those who have completed a 3 year UG degree and a 1-year program for the ones who hold a 4 year UG degree. To keep an account of credits, an Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) shall be established to digitally store the academic credits.
Minimum Teaching Qualification
4 year integrated B.Ed. shall become minimum degree qualification for school teachers. It will be a dual major Bachelor’s degree in education along with a specialized subject. 2 years and 1-year B.Ed. programs shall also be conducted by HEIs for students who have already completed a degree in the specialized subject and those who have received a 4 year UG degree in a specialized subject respectively.
Higher Education Commission of India (HECI)
HECI shall govern the following three vertical structures under its shed, namely, National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC), National Accreditation Council (NAC), Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) and General Education Council (GEC).
Key Areas of Focus
Part 3 of the NEP deals with other key areas of focus. Special attention must be paid to improvement and increase in enrollment of students in agricultural education with allied disciplines, legal, healthcare and technical education.
Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI)
In order to make important learning materials and documents available to the public in Indian and foreign languages, IITI shall be established to achieve its purpose of promoting Indian languages as well as provide employment to numerous multilingual language and subject experts.
National Educational Technology Forum (NETF)
An autonomous body, NETF shall be established to discuss ideas on learning, planning, administration for school and higher education by means of advanced technology for which technology-based education platforms, such as DIKSHA/SWAYAM shall be used.
The Cabinet has approved the name change of MHRD to Ministry of Education. Indian Government has from time to time introduced several notable schemes, explicitly, Samagra Shiksha, Mid-day meal, etc. for school education and Saakshar Bharat pertaining to adult education for the promotion of education.
