The New Education Program was released on Wednesday, 29 July. Later in the day, the Union Cabinet endorsed a proposal aimed at revising the country’s education system. The Union Ministers for Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Prakash Javadekar and Human Resources Development (HRD) and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank released a statement on NEP-2020. Earlier on 1 May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the NEP 2020 plan, which was prepared by a group of experts headed by former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman K Kasturirangan.

In the big changes, the 10 + 2 configuration of the school system has been replaced by the 5 + 3 + 3 + 4 configuration. This will require 12 years of education and three years of Anganwadi and pre-school. In comparison, instead of a year’s tests, school students can only take part in classes 3, 5, and 8.

NEP 2020 seeks to make “India a Global Knowledge Superior.” The new academic session will begin in September-October – a pause due to the ongoing epidemic of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) – and the government wants to enforce the program before the new session starts. 

Highlights of NEP 2020

• The goal would be to increase the Gross Enrolment Rate of higher education, including technical education, from 26.3 percent to 50 percent by 2035.
• The agenda of the New Education Policy (NEP) approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday seeks to bring about several significant reforms, including enabling top international universities to set up campuses in India, a greater proportion of students pursuing vocational education, and heading into institutions, including multidisciplinary IITs.
• One of the stated goals of the policy is to cultivate “deep-rooted pride” in being an Indian, not only in thinking but also in spirit, intellect, and action, as well as in improving awareness, skills, principles, and provisions that encourage a conscientious contribution to human rights, sustainable development, and living and global well-being.
• The strategy also aims at ‘light but secure’ oversight by a single higher education regulator, as well as expanded access, equality, and inclusion. The NEP stipulates that by 2040, all higher education institutions ( HEIs) must aim to become multidisciplinary institutions, each with the goal of providing 3,000 or more students. There should be at least one major multidisciplinary entity in or close each district by 2030.
• A university should be a multidisciplinary institution providing undergraduate and doctoral degrees with high-quality instruction, research, and group engagement. The concept would require a variety of institutions, ranging from those that put equivalent emphasis on teaching and study, i.e. research-intensive universities to teaching-intensive universities.
• Also, engineering colleges, such as IITs, will move towards more comprehensive and multidisciplinary education in the arts and humanities. Students in the arts and sciences may be involved in studying science.
• Departments of Languages, Literature, Music, Psychology, Indology, Architecture, Dance, Theatre, Culture, Mathematics, Statistics, Pure and Applied Sciences, Sociology, Economics, Athletics, Translation, and Analysis, etc. will be developed and enhanced in all HEIs.
• The degree would be either 3 or 4 years in length, with several exit options. For example, a credential after completing 1 year in a specialty or field, including technical and professional fields, or a diploma after 2 years of training, or a Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year program. However, the 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s program is the favored choice.
• An Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) shall be formed to store the academic credits received in digital form.
• The 4-year curriculum can even lead to a degree ‘with study’ if the applicant conducts a comprehensive thesis project. A model of public universities for integrated and multidisciplinary education, at the same time as IITs, IIMs, etc., called MERUs (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities) would be developed.
• Higher education institutions shall switch from high-level assessments to regular and thorough tests.
• India should be advertised as a global research destination offering quality education at affordable prices. An International Students Office will be founded at each institution hosting foreign students.
• High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries. Selected universities like those from among the top 100 universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India.
• A statutory mechanism to encourage such admission will be placed in place and special dispensations will be given to these universities in respect of financial, governance, and quality requirements on a par with other autonomous institutions of India.
• Within each educational setting, stress control and mental development therapy programs are in operation.
• Efforts should be made to promote the merits of SC, ST, OBC, and other SEDG graduates.
• Vocational programs should be incorporated into both schools and higher education institutions in a staggered fashion over the next decade. In 2025, at least 50 percent of learners across the school and higher education programs should be subjected to technical education.
•  The B.Voc. degrees introduced in 2013 will continue to exist, but vocational courses will also be available to students enrolled in all other Bachelor’s degree programs, including the 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programs.
• ‘Lok Vidya,’ i.e. essential vocational skills established in India, will be made available to students. The Minister of Health, which should be renamed the Minister of Health, will form the National Committee for the Development of Vocational Education (NCIVE).
• The strategy also calls for the establishment of the National Research Foundation (NRF). The policy also refers to the establishment of the Indian Higher Education Commission (HECI).

Reviews

Beginning from the Vice-Chancellors of Private Universities to other business leaders, many of them expressed their opinions and questions regarding the New Education Strategy. Here’s a couple of them to try out.

• Dr. Rupamanjari Ghosh, Vice-Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida said, “We’ve been patiently waiting for this day. National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has the potential to have a profound long-term effect on the social and economic structure of our society — that is the power of education, particularly given our demographics. NEP 2020 supports big changes in higher education – comprehensive and multidisciplinary curriculum, diversity in topic choices and plan durations, etc.
• Dr. Dishan Kamdar, Vice-Chancellor at FLAME University, has named it a game-changer for the future. He said, “This is going to be a game-changer for the development of India’s education system. By 2030, multidisciplinary colleges in every district will promote liberal arts education to a significant degree. India will have the highest number of young people in the world by 2030.”
• Aakash Chaudhry said, “The incorporation of the arts, humanities, athletics, physical education and vocational training in school education is a case in point. The Policy is also futuristic-exciting web content in English, Hindi and regional languages are exciting. “Sharad Mehra said,” The NEP is a transformational step in the right direction on a variety of fronts. The idea of the Center and States coming together to maximize public spending in the education sector to hit 6 % of GDP is a positive change.
• Sumeet Jain, Yocket’s co-founder, and higher education analyst, congratulated the Government with its new education regulations. He said, “Under the NEP, the world’s top 100 international universities would be” facilitated “to work in India under a new regulation. According to the HRD Ministry paper, listing main policy features, “these (foreign) universities should be given special dispensation concerning administrative, governance, and quality requirements on a par with other autonomous institutions of India.”
• At the other hand, Dr. Vishal Talwar, Dean-School of Management, BML Munjal University, said, “The new education policy unveiled today aims to respond to the changing realities of education by growing versatility, raising the degree of autonomy and seeking to increase the level of application of expertise along with a wider ability set. A key thing that needs to be looked at is how this program is applied.

What NEP 2020 has for teachers

The updated National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 released by the Center on Wednesday proposed a range of improvements to the country’s school system. As per the new legislation, a four-year integrated BED would be the minimum degree required for teaching by 2030. The Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) will now be updated as per the existing school program.

Previously, the TET was split into two components — part 1 and part 2. Now that the school system has been split into four parts — fundamental, preparatory, middle, and secondary — TET should also be built accordingly.

All that apply for TET would have to demonstrate or appear in an interview to demonstrate their understanding of the local language in compliance with the new regulation. As per the NEP, “Interview will become an important part of the recruiting of teachers.” Such interviews will also determine the ease and expertise of teaching in the local language. It will also be a must for private school teachers to apply for TET.

Hiring and openings in schools can be remotely controlled. A technology-based, systematic teacher-requirement preparation project will be undertaken by each state to determine the projected subject-specific shortage of teachers over the next two decades.

Some changes are also made in B.Ed, a lot of merit-based scholarships are also introduced to ensure that outstanding students enter the teaching profession – especially from rural areas, Teachers who have already been hired will be expected to participate in at least 50 hours of continuous professional development (CPD) every year.