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WHAT IS NEP? EDUCATION IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEP 2020 – IN BRIEF


“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel” ~Socrates


This quote emphasizes the need to awaken and nurture the student’s curious mind rather than fill it with loads of information and expect them to repeat it without analyzing, understanding or questioning it.


The National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020 is a step towards this direction. It seeks to address the entire gamut of education from preschool to doctoral studies, and from professional degrees to vocational training. NEP also aims to increase the focus on strengthening teacher training, reforming the existing exam system, early childhood care and restructuring the regulatory framework of education among others


NEP 2022 was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reorient India's education policy as per global benchmarks. Mr. K Kasturirangan was the chairman of NEP 2022 drafting committee


The main motto of NEP is that no child should be denied access to a quality education because of their socio-cultural background. It covers elementary and university education in urban as well as rural India.


In order to achieve global benchmarks as well as create an India-centric education system the NEP 2020 has proposed various steps:


Restructuring the school system: To begin with, the 10+2 structure has been replaced by 5+3+3+4 structure. According to this, the children will spend five years in the Foundational stage (3 years of Playschool and Nursery + Class 1 and 2), 3 years in the Preparatory stage (Class 3-5), 3 years in the Middle stage (6-8), and 4 years in the Secondary stage (9-12). This structure aims to formalize education in the kindergarten and playschools.


Continous comprehensive evaluation: Another recommendation by the NEP includes tracking the progress of the students throughout their school experience. That includes board exams for classes 3, 5, and 8. The restructuring of the 10th board exam that would mainly focus and test only the skills, core concepts and higher-order thinking & capacities. The same would apply to HEIs (Higher Educational Institutions). Focus would be more on continuous and comprehensive evaluation. Holistic Progress Card (HPC) is a recent initiative by NCERT. This form of evaluation does not focus on marks and grades but rather on the students’ own perception of their performance and what they wish to achieve in school. Parents too can track the student’s achievements in class. According to NEP 2020, the HPC is a means to build self-awareness and self-esteem of students by communicating the strengths and areas of improvements.


Teachers at the heart of the learning process: To be ready for the NEP, schools have to redesign the school curriculum and move to experiential learning and concept-oriented teaching. In order to deliver the curriculum effectively, schools will need to train teachers and understand the pedagogical needs to make a smooth transition to the new education system


Multidisciplinary: This is one of the major highlights of the NEP 2020. A holistic and multidisciplinary education would aim to develop all capacities of human beings -intellectual, aesthetic, social, physical, emotional, and moral in an integrated manner. Such an education will help develop well-rounded individuals that possess critical 21st century capacities in fields across the arts, humanities, languages, sciences, social sciences, and professional, technical, and vocational fields; an ethic of social engagement; soft skills, such as communication, discussion and debate; and rigorous specialization in a chosen field or fields. All undergraduate programmes in due course would aim for the same including those in professional, technical, and vocational disciplines. This has already been incorporated in some institutes like IIT Bombay. With a growing number of engineering graduates from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) seeking and making careers in various non-core-engineering fields such as management, consultancy, finance, start-ups among all, the IIT Bombay has now overhauled its undergraduate (UG) curriculum to suit the changing trends. HASMED is the group of non- engineering subjects such as Humanities, Arts, Social Science, Management, Entrepreneurship, Design that is offered along with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects and the chosen specialization of the engineering branch of the student.


Focus on 21st century skills: Often called the 4 C’s: critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating, and collaborating. These skills help students learn, and so they are vital to success in school and beyond. Andreas Schleicher, OECD Education Directorate, 20106 explains the need for 21st century skills as follows: “Today, because of rapid economic and social change, schools have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented and problems that we don’t yet know will arise.”


Flexible: Imaginative and flexible curricular structures will enable creative combinations of disciplines for study, and would offer multiple entry and exit points, thus, removing currently prevalent rigid boundaries and creating new possibilities for life-long learning. The undergraduate degree will be of either 3 or 4-year duration, with multiple exit options within this period, with appropriate certifications, e.g., a certificate after completing 1 year in a discipline or field including vocational and professional areas, or a diploma after 2 years of study, or a Bachelor ’s degree after a 3-year programme. The 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor's programme, however, shall be the preferred option since it allows the opportunity to experience the full range of holistic and multidisciplinary education in addition to a focus on the chosen major and minors as per the choices of the student. In addition, it would help to secure admission to foreign institutions where a 16year education is an entry criterion for Masters course and the like. An Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) shall be established which would digitally store the academic credits earned from various recognized HEIs so that the degrees from an HEI can be awarded taking into account credits earned.


  • HEIs will have the flexibility to offer different designs of Master’s programmes: (a) there may be a 2-year programme with the second year devoted entirely to research for those who have completed the 3-year Bachelor ’s programme; (b) for students completing a 4-year Bachelor ’s programme with Research, there could be a 1-year Master’s programme; and (c) there may be an integrated 5-year Bachelor’s/Master’s programme. Undertaking a Ph.D. shall require either a Master’s degree or a 4-year Bachelor’s degree with Research. The M.Phil. programme shall be discontinued.


  • Vocational subjects a part of the curriculum: Emphasis is also on introducing vocational subjects from classes 9-12 as well as in undergraduate programmes. Schools have been suggested to build expert curriculum delivery methods that are aligned with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) competency level.



  • Internships: As part of a holistic education, students at all HEIs will be provided with opportunities for internships with local industry, businesses, artists, crafts persons, etc., as well as research internships with faculty and researchers at their own or other HEIs/research institutions, so that students may actively engage with the practical side of their learning and, as a by-product, further improve their employability.


  • Career counselling: There will also be professional academic and career counselling available to all students, as well as counsellors to ensure physical, psychological and emotional well-being.


  • Online Distance Learning (ODL): ODL programmes will aim to be equivalent to the highest quality in-class programmes available. Norms, standards, and guidelines for systemic development, regulation, and accreditation of ODL will be prepared, and a framework for quality of ODL that will be recommendatory for all HEIs will be developed.


  • Internationalization: The various initiatives mentioned above will also help in having larger numbers of international students studying in India, and provide greater mobility to students in India who may wish to visit, study at, transfer credits to, or carry out research at institutions abroad, and vice versa. The Twinning, Dual and Joint programmes provide an opportunity to complete courses partly in India and partly in a foreign institution with academic credits and due certifications and vice versa. An International Students Office at each HEI hosting foreign students will be set up to coordinate all matters relating to welcoming and supporting students arriving from abroad. High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries, and similarly, selected universities from among the top 100 universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India., research collaboration and student exchanges between Indian institutions and global institutions will be promoted through special efforts. Credits acquired in foreign universities will be permitted, where appropriate as per the requirements of each HEI, Policy envisions ensuring equitable access to quality education to all students, with a special emphasis on SEDGs (Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups).


  • Technology Use and Integration: The Digital India Campaign is helping to transform the entire nation into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Both education and technology will play an important role in the improvement of educational processes and outcomes.


The NEP provides an important opportunity to move Indian education from sorting and selection to human development, enabling every student to develop to their maximum potential.


To conclude, this is a humble attempt to summarize the NEP 2020 to understand the main points without diluting the essence. The NEP 2020 has set detailed guidelines for courses, subjects, exams, students, teachers etc., all with an aim to provide the best to students in rural and urban India. Like any new proposal in the education sector impacts the students and their choices, there are opinions for and against the proposal. There are great takeaways for some and some may find pain points. It would help to think how can we make the most of a situation rather than lament what is not there.


Wishing the amazing new generation the very best to focus on the right things!!


For a detailed explanation of the NEP 2020, please click on the link below:


https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf




 
 
 

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