National Education Policy 2020

National Education Policy 2020, According to Dr. Indrajit Bhattacharya, Director, National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET), Quality Council of India and Dr. Manish Kumar Jindal, CEO, National Accreditation Board for Education and Training, Quality Council of India, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses on key reforms in higher education that prepare the next generation to thrive and compete in the new digital age (ENN).

New Education Policy 2020 Essay

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), which was released on July 29, 2020, outlines India’s new education system’s vision. To ensure continuous learning, NEP 2020 is built on five pillars: affordability, accessibility, quality, equity, and accountability. It was designed with citizens’ needs in mind, as the demand for knowledge in society and the economy necessitated the acquisition of new skills on a regular basis. Thus, the thrust of NEP 2020 is to provide quality education and create opportunities for lifelong learning for all, leading to full and productive employment and decent work, as outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

The new policy replaces the previous National Policy on Education from 1986 and establishes a comprehensive framework for transforming India’s primary and secondary education systems by 2040.

The NEP 2020 asks for significant improvements in both secondary and postsecondary education that will prepare the next generation to prosper and compete in the digital age. Multidisciplinarity, digital literacy, written communication, problem-solving, logical reasoning, and occupational exposure are all heavily emphasised in the paper.

National Education Technology Forum (NETF)

The NETF envisaged for establishment under NEP 2020 is a positive step in the right direction. Hosting Quality Ed-Tech tools in all dimensions of teaching-learning delivery would allow learning institutions to adapt quickly. The emphasis should be on hosting indigenous Ed-Tech tools on “open-source development platforms” with built-in cyber security resilience to ensure “privacy and security,” in addition to adhering to cyber security standards, using firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to protect against external threats and vulnerabilities. This will protect individual students’ “personal privacy.”

NEP 2020 implications for higher education

The NEP 2020 was created with the goal of increasing the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education from 26% to 50% by 2030. It aspires to expand the infrastructure for open and distance learning, online education, and increased use of technology in education in order to help students develop their overall personalities.

In addition, the National Research Foundation (NRF) will be established to support the country’s research efforts. A single regulator for higher education institutions across the country, the National Accreditation Council (NAC), would be established. The Higher Education Council of India (HECI) will be divided into several verticals to carry out various functions.

All government recruiting examinations will be administered by a National Recruitment Agency, and numerous recruitment exams at the same level will be administered through a Common Eligibility Test (CET).

In addition, to achieve this goal of global quality standards, courses and programmes in subjects such as Indology, Indian languages, AYUSH systems of medicine, yoga, arts, music, history, culture, and modern India, internationally relevant curricula in the sciences, social sciences, and beyond, meaningful opportunities for social engagement, quality residential facilities and on-campus support, and so on will be promoted.

Assessment and Accreditation of Indian Higher Education 

Among other important functions, higher education regulatory mechanisms would include “accreditation” by an independent body. Institutions will be able to run Open Distance Learning (ODL) and online programmes if they are accredited to do so in order to improve their offerings, improve access, increase GER, and provide opportunities for lifelong learning.

The National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET) and the Quality Council of India (QCI) under the Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Government of India developed an accreditation scheme to improve the credibility of Learning Service Providers (LSP). Accreditation ensures the quality of the trainer/faculty, the infrastructure, the programme design (development and delivery), and the training management system (3 dimensions: hardware, software, humanware / skinware).

Important for cybersecurity Education

According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Risk Report 2021, ‘Cyber Security Failure’ is the world’s fourth most serious threat. As a result of the ongoing pandemic, education and learning have already migrated to cyberspace, it is critical to protect each individual’s privacy and security. As digitization becomes more prevalent, it is critical that our networks and cyberspace are made secure. In today’s world, it is critical that capacity building for ‘Cyber Security Resilience’ is prioritized and included in all higher education curricula, regardless of field of study.

Innovation in Higher Education

One of the key thrust areas of NEP 2020 is to encourage high R&D investments from both the public and private sectors. This will foster innovation and innovative mindsets. To facilitate this, there is a strong industry commitment and close collaboration with academia for industry-led skilling/upskilling/reskilling.

Furthermore, it is necessary to instil skill sets for driving knowledge about “Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)” and their protection in order to reap benefits

Important Highlights of National Education Policy 2020

Points to Remember for Higher Education:

By 2035, the gross enrollment ratio in higher education will be increased to 50%. In addition, 3.5 million new higher education seats will be added.

Higher education currently has a Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of 26.3 percent.

Holistic Undergraduate education with a flexible curriculum can last three or four years, with multiple exit options and appropriate certification available during that time.

M.Phil courses will be phased out, and all undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD courses will be interdisciplinary.

To facilitate credit transfers, an academic bank of credits will be established.

Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs), on par with IITs and IIMs, to be established in the country as models of best multidisciplinary education of global standards.

The National Research Foundation will be established as the apex body responsible for fostering a strong research culture and increasing research capacity across higher education.

The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be established as a single umbrella body for all higher education, with the exception of medical and legal education.

Regulation, accreditation, and academic standards will be applied to both public and private higher education institutions.

Additionally, HECI will have four independent verticals

• the National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation
• the General Education Council (GEC) for standard setting
• the Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding
• the National Accreditation Council (NAC) for accreditation

College affiliation will be phased out over a 15-year period, and a stage-by-stage mechanism for granting colleges graded autonomy will be established.

Every college is expected to grow into either an autonomous degree-granting college or a constituent college of a university over time.

Points to Remember for School Education

By 2030, the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in school education will have reached 100 percent

Using an open schooling system, bring 2 million out-of-school children back into the classroom.

The current 10+2 system will be replaced by a new 5+3+3+4 curricular structure for ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18.

It will bring the uncovered age group of 3-6 years into the school curriculum, which has been recognised globally as a critical stage in a child’s mental development.

It will also have a 12-year schooling system, with three years of Anganwadi/preschool education.

Board examinations for classes 10 and 12 will be simplified, with a focus on core competencies rather than memorised facts, and all students will be allowed to retake the exam twice.

A new accreditation framework and an independent authority to regulate both public and private schools are set to change school governance.

There is no rigid separation between academic, extracurricular, and vocational streams in schools, with an emphasis on foundational literacy and numeracy.

Vocational education will begin in Grade 6 and will be supplemented by internships.

Teaching in mother tongue/regional language up to and including Grade 5. No student will be forced to speak a foreign language.

Assessment reforms include the use of a 360-degree Holistic Progress Card to track student progress in order to achieve Learning Outcomes.

The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), in collaboration with the National Council of Educational Research and Training, will develop a new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE) 2021. (NCERT).

A four-year integrated B.Ed. degree will be the minimum degree qualification for teachers by 2030.

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