Notable Reforms in the National Education Policy That Takes India a Step Forward

The year 2020 was characterized by uncertainty. It shall always be remembered as the year the world we know and the lives we live changed forever or came to a standstill temporarily.

The year witnessed major unprecedented events but one of the changes which was not only anticipated but rather necessary came about in the form of the National Education Policy 2020.

For India, this happens to be one of the major positive breakthroughs of this otherwise dreadful start of the decade.

The NEP, 2020 was 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 a process was initiated to transform the educational Institutions in India and provide them with the ability to attain a certain level, that they can be compared to the likes of the best in the world.

This is a landmark change by the Indian Government, as they have replaced the 34-year-old National Policy on Education, framed in 1986, with the New Education Policy of 2020.

The NEP, which has been approved by the union cabinet, has made revolutionary reforms in the Indian education paradigm.

Here are three key reforms

Inclusion of early childhood education

Education will begin at age 3, rather than at age 6 for students in first grade, to focus on children’s foundational years (ages 3-8). Previously, children’s right to education applied to grades one through eight (6-14 years).

This is particularly relevant for public schools, which serve a majority of children from low-income families and who, compared to middle-class families, often lack preschool education, thereby widening the gap between them further.

Learning in the native tongue

The NEP 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.

Quality education

The NEP aims to create a solid foundation for children during their early development by establishing a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy that would prioritize “the development of communication and early language, literacy and numeracy.”

The NEP also calls for much-needed teacher education reform, including an overhaul of pre-service programs, including the B.Ed, and for the first time, mental health and social-emotional learning receive a strong mention.

Bharat e-Shiksha, a flagship initiative under BharatCares aims to make quality education accessible to underprivileged students through a network of digitally-empowered Bharat e-Shiksha Volunteers (BEVs).

This initiative not only aims to educate and empower underprivileged children but is also aligned with the NEP.

Under this initiative, both teachers and children in rural areas or urban slums are provided with content-loaded tablets or content-loaded Smart TVs to provide access to digital devices and mentored learning.

The programme targets learners from government schools and follows a 3L Learning Model. This includes Learning, Lifeskills, and Library.

Apart from this, Bharat-e-Shiksha has launched Digital Learning Centers (DLCs) across the country. Here, learning sessions are conducted in a hybrid model which helps children learn through different methods yet stay focussed.