New National Education Policy: Paving The Way For A Future-ready India

The modern society and its comforts are a result of literacy, education and research. Everything that we touch today, from a teacup to a smartphone, is the result of scientific research and education. But as society has progressed with the advent of digitalization, the education needs of the masses too have changed. Today’s education policies border on redundancy and are no longer adequate to meet these growing, changing needs. This merits the necessity for a new National Educational Policy (NEP), every few decades, in keeping with the contemporary needs. Till, date India has witnessed three such reformations, the first being in 1968 (during Indira Gandhi’s tenure), the second in 1986 (under Rajiv Gandhi’s administration), and the third more recently in 2020, under the Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi. Recognising the long-standing need for more holistic education, the new NEP focusses on universalisation of education and providing vocational studies. Where earlier the focus of education was to make people literate and help them secure jobs, the new policy is centred on quality, innovation and research, intended to enable India to become a knowledge superpower.  

The NEP is based on the foundational pillars of access, affordability, equity, quality and accountability. Through new assessment systems such as Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) for Board examinations and interdisciplinary graduate courses, the focus will be on character building and not merely earning a qualification to secure a job.  

One of the key highlights of the NEP is the no-language barrier for students till grade 5. The medium of teaching up to Grade 5 will be in the mother tongue / regional language, thereby not limiting children and imposing a particular language on them. By not restricting the teachers to a particular language medium, the NEP is promoting multilingualism and the power of language in teaching and learning. Sanskrit will be offered across levels of school and higher education as an option for students. Other classical languages and literature of India will also be available as options. Numerous international languages will also be offered at the secondary level. Indian Sign Language will be standardized across the country. Vocational education will be provided to students from the 6th grade and will include internships. The NEP aims at making the curriculum flexible so that students have the option to select their educational trajectories and courses, and thereby choose their own paths in life according to their aptitude and interests. 

Education is the greatest key to achieving social justice and equality. Inclusive and impartial education is crucial to achieving an inclusive community in which each and every individual has the right to dream, soar, and contribute to the country, leading it on the path of success. To ensure standardised and universal means, extensive research was done, and data showed that certain geographical areas contain significantly larger proportions of Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDG). Other than that, there are geographical locations that have been identified as aspirational districts which require special interventions for promoting their educational development. Therefore, in keeping with the vision that no child should be deprived of an opportunity to learn and excel because of the circumstances of birth or background, it has been proposed that those regions should be declared Special Education Zones (SEZs). These regions will witness the optimal implementation of all schemes and policies through more collaborative efforts, in order to truly take India on the path of holistic development. 

To ensure that the nation progresses together and to make every individual self-reliant and empowered the government has ensured that there is equity and inclusion when it comes to higher education too. An education from a reputed institute can provide in numerous opportunities that can uplift both individuals as well as entire sections of the society out of the cycles of disadvantage. The NEP works towards ensuring equal opportunities to quality education to all students, with a special emphasis on SEDGs. The NEP has urged Higher Educational Institutes to lower fees for pursuing higher education and to even provide more financial aids and scholarships to socio-economically disadvantaged students thereby making sure that every student has an equal opportunity. 

Taking a more practical and skill-based approach towards education, the policy is sure to facilitate a generation that is better equipped with expertise and niche skills. With multinationals looking at moving their manufacturing units to India, it is the need of the hour for the government to ensure that the masses of the country have the necessary skills. This will lead to India being able to man more powerful manufacturing units, lending confidence to MNCs, thus serving to further amplify the government’s ‘Make In India’ campaign. The new policy’s focus on universalization of education, 360° Holistic Progress Card, emphasis on having a strong foundation, the formation of a new National Research Foundation to give impetus to a culture of research to resonate through our educational institutes are all proof that India is gearing towards enabling an entire generation that will possess skill sets to make India truly Aatma Nirbhar. With India offering a treasure trove of vocational skills and expertise, this resource pool will attract higher foreign investment, empowering India to change the game.  

Dr Brajesh Kumar Tiwari

Guest Author The author is Associate Professor at Atal Bihar Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship; Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.