2020 has been a year of uncertainties. We all witnessed some unprecedented events and not all of them were pleasing. While our personal lives came to a standstill, one of the changes that brought a little hope was the National Education Policy 2020. This has to be a major breakthrough of this otherwise dull year.
It is a landmark change by our government as it has been launched after 34 years of following the old policy. The policy brings a lot of revolutionary reforms to our education system and has been welcomed with open arms by every citizen. Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world and a nation’s education policy depicts its true economic and social strength. If all the changes are implemented successfully then we can certainly hope to see our country becoming one of the top three economies in the world in the next decade.
Major highlights of NEP 2020
- Schooling to start from the age of 3: The new policy has suggested the mandatory schooling period to be 3-18 years from the current 6-14 years. So the new system will include 12 years of regular schooling with extra 3 for preschool.
- Mother tongue will be established as a medium of instructions: NEP 2020 has directed focus towards making our mother tongue strong by using it as a medium of instructions. While no language would be imposed on anyone, the focus should remain on our regional/local/mother tongue for at least until Grade 5.
- No more rigid subject streams: Students will now have the freedom to choose various subjects as per their interest instead of going with the pre-decided subject streams. Vocational education will also be introduced in schools up to class 6.
- Formation of a single higher education body: The Education Commission of India has decided to set up a single higher education body to overlook the entire segment excluding medical and legal education. The same set of rules would be implemented on both public and private sector schools to maintain autonomy.
- No more dropouts and return of FYUP: Students will be given multiple exit options during their undergraduate degree and college education and no institution can deny them the certificate for the same.
How NEP 2020 changes the education scenario in the country?
The policy will provide convenience and flexibility to students and make studying more appealing to them. One of the major takeaways from the policy is the change in 10+2 curriculum that will make the education system more viable. The regional languages have also been given importance, which was long overdue for a diverse country like ours. Functioning under a single regulatory body will provide more transparency and make the system more efficient. Overall, the reforms will pave a way for better socio-economic development of our country and allow our students to enjoy education.
What’s the takeaway?
The policy has been drafted to reduce the gender and social gap in our current education system. Quality of teachers is also a main agenda of the policy because they help shape up the entire system and without maintaining quality, we cannot achieve excellence. We are sure that NEP 2020 will be a stepping stone towards better development and prosperity of our nation.
