New Education Policy 2020 Highlights School and higher education to see major changes

New Education Policy 2020 Highlights School and higher education to see major changes

New Education Policy 2020 Highlights: Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Education Policy 2020, paving way for transformational reforms in school and higher education sector in the country.

New Education Policy was launched on Wednesday, July 29. Earlier, in the afternoon the Union cabinet approved the policy that aims to overhaul the country’s education system. Union Ministers for Information and Broadcasting (I&B)Prakash Javadekar and Human Resource Development (HRD) and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, made the announcement on the NEP- 2020. Earlier on May 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reviewed the NEP- 2020, for which draft was prepared by a panel of experts led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan. The NEP 2020 aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower”.The new academic session will begin in September-October – the delay is due to the unprecedented coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak – and the government aims to introduce the policy before the new session kicks in 

New National Education Policy

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Education; Govt schemes and policies 

In news: 

The New National Education Policy – (Major highlights) 

  • It will introduce four­-year undergraduate degrees with multiple entry and exit options 
  • It will abolish the M.Phil. degree 
  • It will establish a common higher education regulator with fee fixation for both private and public institutions 
  • It also envisions universalisation of early childhood education from ages 3 to 6 by 2030 
  • It provides for a new school curriculum with coding and vocational studies from Class 6, and a child’s mother tongue being used as the medium of instruction till Class 5 
  • Class 10 and 12 board examinations will be made easier, to test core competencies rather than memorised facts, with all students allowed to take the exam twice 
  • New Education Policy 2020 vs 1986 policy – A major departure is shifting from 10+2 format to a 5+3+3+4 

Do you know? 

  • MHRD will now be called Education Ministry  
  • This is the first new education policy in 34 years 
  • A panel headed by former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan submitted a draft Education Policy in December 2018 
  • Education is a concurrent subject 
New Education Policy 2020 Highlights School and higher education to see major changes

Language formula: 

  • The new Education Policy provides for greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any State 
  • The three languages learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India 
  • Sanskrit will be offered as an option at all levels of school and higher education 
  • Other classical languages will also be available, possibly as online modules, while foreign languages will be offered at the secondary level 

New curricular framework 

  • A new curricular framework is to be introduced, including the pre­school and anganwadi years 
  • A National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy will ensure basic skills at the Class 3 level by 2025 
  • Students will begin classes on coding as well as vocational activities from Class 6 onwards 
  • Indian knowledge systems, including tribal and indigenous knowledge, will be incorporated into the curriculum in an accurate and scientific manner 

Governance reforms 

  • School governance is set to change, with a new accreditation framework and an independent authority to regulate both public and private schools 
  • An Academic Bank of Credit will be set up to make it easier to transfer between institutions 
  • The college affiliation system is being phased out over the next 15 years, so that every college develops into either an autonomous degree-­granting institution, or a constituent college of a university. 

Push to digital education 

  • The new NEP has a new section on digital education to ensure “equitable use of technology”. 
  • A dedicated unit to coordinate digital infrastructure, content and capacity building will be created within the Education Ministry to look after the online learning needs of both school and higher education. 
New Education Policy 2020 Highlights School and higher education to see major changes

Enrolment ratio 

  • The NEP emphasises universal access to schools 
  • It aims to bring two crore out-­of­-school children back into the educational mainstream 
  • It also aims to double the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education, including vocational education, from 26.3% in 2018 to 50% by 2035, with an additional 3.5 crore new seats 
  • To achieve this, GDP expenditure to increase from current 4.43% of GDP to 6% 

Gender Inclusion Fund 

  • Centre to set up a ‘Gender ­Inclusion Fund’ to build the country’s capacity to provide equitable quality education to all girls and transgender students. 
  • The fund will be available to States to implement priorities determined by the Central government critical for assisting female and transgender children in gaining access to education (such as the provisions of sanitation and toilets, bicycles, conditional cash transfers, etc) 

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