Coming 34 years after the last education policy of 1986, NEP 2020 is the first education policy of the 21st Century’s in India emphasizing on the creative potential of each and every student. The NEP 2020 rests on the basic principles of flexibility, no hard separations between subjects, curricular and extra-curricular activities, Multi-disciplinary education, conceptual understanding, critical thinking, Ethical Values, teachers as the heart of the learning process, the strong public education system in India. To overcome the finance related challenges, the policy commits to raise the public expenditure on education to the recommended level of 6% of GDP as envisaged in 1968 policy.

The NEP 2020 that replaces the National Policy on Education of 1986 came after serious hectic deliberations. NEP 2020 also renamed the Ministry of Human Resource Development as the Education Ministry. From school education to higher education, the New Education policy envisions to provide a new structure to the education sector of the country. The major features of the New Education Policy 2020 are as:

Multidisciplinary and Holistic

It is a central recommendation of NEP 2020. The Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core essentials, and it will make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning. At the same time it will also focus on development of physical, emotional and cognitive abilities. For this colleges will be research intensive and teaching intensive.

Medium of Instruction

The National Education Policy 2020 has emphasized on the use of mother tongue or local language as the medium of instruction till Class 5^th while, recommending its continuance till Class 8^th and beyond. Sanskrit and foreign languages will also be given emphasis. The Policy recommends that all students will learn three languages in their school under the 'formula'. At least two of the three languages should be native to India. It also states that no language will be imposed on the students. Indian knowledge systems including its languages, culture and wisdom will be given more focus.

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

The new education policy also lays emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for ages 3 to 6 where provisions would be made to ensure universal access to high qualify ECCE across the country in phased manner. The ECCE will get a complete National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy and that mission will focus on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.

Structure of Hr. Secondary Education

The existing 10+2 structure is to be modified to 5+3+3+4 structure where the first three years would be formative play school years of nursery and kinder garden. Foundational State of 3 and 2 years would include play school and Grades 1 and 2, Preparatory Stages of Grade 3 to 5, Middle schools of grade 6 to 8 and Secondary Stages of grades 9 to 12. There will be no rigid separation between arts, science and commerce streams, curricular and extracurricular activities and between academic and vocational education. Students can choose what they want to choose. Coding will begin from Class 6. Music, Arts, Sports, would be at the same level. Students will be given increased flexibility and choice of subjects to study, particularly in secondary school including subjects in physical education, the arts and crafts, and vocational skills.

Higher Education

A 2019 report of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, now Ministry of Education revealed that India has the second largest higher education system in the world after China with 37.4 million students, 1.4 million teachers spread over more than 40,000 higher educational institutes. The first commission on higher education in the country in the post independent era was Radha Krishan Commission in 1948 and since independence two National Educational Policies 1968 and 1986 been implemented. The third NEP comes with a fresh vision for regulating the higher education system in the country. The growth of Higher education in the country has been slow and inadequate as represented by Gross Enrollment Rate (GER). NEP 2020 aims to take the GER from present 26.1% to 50% by 2050.

Four Year Undergraduate Programme with Multiple Entry and Exit options

The undergraduate degree will be of either 3 or 4 years duration with multiple exit options within this period and 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. Students pursuing 4 year degree programme would have an option of getting a degree with Research, if the research process is completed in the area of study as specified.

Light but tight regulation through HECI

In higher education, the mass penetration of private institutes offering various types of degrees has lead to disciplinary distortions and a degradation of quality of education. This is perhaps the reason why Indian universities do not find top positions in World university rankings. The regulatory framework of quality assurance followed in higher education in the country is not much effective. To overcome all these related challenges, NEP 2020 proposes a regulatory system of Higher Education to be distinct for regulation, accreditation, funding and academic standard setting under the umbrella of Higher Education Commission of India or HECI. The Higher Education Commission of India will have four verticals. The HECI will have National Higher Educational Regulatory Council (NHERC), National Accreditation Council (NAC), Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) and the General Education Council (GEC). All these four bodies would further form a National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF). University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) would also be replaced by HECI. All professional bodies except medical and law stream of education would be under HECI.

Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)

ABC will enable students to open their accounts of credits earned by them throughout their learning journey and also learning anything from anywhere. The ABC scheme specifies that students can avail up to 70% of courses from other institutes while being enrolled in a particular college. If students avail these credits outside the parent college, they need not enrol for the corresponding in-house courses.ABC will be a digital storehouse containing information about the credits earned by individual students giving them the multiple options to enter and leave colleges. As there will be multiple entry and exit points during the higher education, the credits will be transferable through ABC. The validity of these academic credits earned by students will be up to seven years and students can redeem these credits. The credits can be redeemed and students can seek admission directly in the second year at any university. The validity will be up to seven years hence, students will have to rejoin within seven years in the same or any other institute. Such a mechanisim will enables the student to drop out in any year and then exchange the credits earned so far with a certificate/diploma if they are eligible.

National Research Foundation

The New Education Policy 2020 also envisages setting up a National Research Foundation (NRF). The NRF would be set up with a goal to ‘evolve a culture of research'. NRF would be governed independently by rotating board of governors. Primary task or NRF would be to fund competitive, peer reviewed grant proposals of all types and across all disciplines and also act as a liaison between researchers and relevant branches of government so as to allow breakthroughs.

Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)

To maximize skill-based learning and improve learning outcomes, the NEP 2020 modified the traditional teaching-learning system to create the Choice Based Credit System. The choice-based credit system is a flexible teaching-learning system that offers students the freedom to opt for different courses and chart their learning journey. Students can choose from a list of elective, core, and soft skill courses every semester. Evaluation in a choice-based credit system is based on grading.

Multidisciplinary Education and Research University (MERU)

NEP, 2020 also proposes to build a world class Multidisciplinary higher educational institute to be called as MERU.

International branch campuses

NEP 2020 also has the provision of allowing top ranking foreign universities to establish campuses in India as well as giving permission for IITs to set up campuses overseas. The policy sets a grand goal of utilizing international education to reestablish India as a Vishwa Guru (or world teacher).

Special Education Zones (SEZs)

These will focus on the education of underrepresented group in disadvantaged regions.

Gender Inclusion Fund

It will be specially meant for assisting the nation in the education of female and transgender children.

New language Institutions

The policy proposes new language institutions such as the Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation and the National Institute/Institutes for Pali, Persian and Prakrit. Other bodies proposed include the National Mission for Mentoring, National Book Promotion Policy, National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.

(The author is a faculty at SKUAST-K; can be reached at pkumar6674@gmail.com)