The new National Education Policy (NEP) approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday is set to usher in a slew of changes with the vision of creating an education system that contributes directly to transforming the country, providing high-quality education to all, and making India a global knowledge superpower.
The draft of the NEP by a panel headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief Kasturirangan and submitted to the Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal when he took charge last year. The new NEP replaces the one formulated in 1986.
Some of the key highlights of the New Education Policy are as follows:
Major reforms in higher education include the target of 50% gross enrollment ratio by 2035 and provision for multiple entry/exit
Other features include graded academic, administrative and financial autonomy of institutions and a single regulator for all higher education working under a self-disclosure based transparent system for approvals in place of numerous 'inspections'
e-courses will be developed in regional languages; virtual labs will be developed and a National Educational Technology Forum(NETF) is being created
National mission to focus on basic literacy and basic numeracy; major changes in the pedagogical structure of curriculum with no rigid separation between streams; all separations between vocational and academic and curricular and extra-curricular will also be removed
Board exams will be low stakes and test actual knowledge instead of rote learning; Mother tongue to be the medium of instruction till 5th grade; report cards will be a comprehensive report on skills and capabilities instead of just marks and statements
"A wide consultation process was adopted in the formulation of National Education policy 2020. All 2.5 lakh gram panchayats were approached through MyGovIndia. Opinions of governments, departments, academic and common people were taken into consideration," Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare.
(With Inputs from ANI)
