National Education Policy 2020 - Ensuring Holistic Development of Students

“Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” – Ken Robinson.

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is a bold step toward empowering 21st-century aspirants with future-proof skills, creativity and knowledge. The NEP enables all schools to go smart and make their curriculum holistic, multi-disciplinary and flexible. It emphasises four essential areas of reform:

- Shift in the ways of assessment

- Need for systemic transformation

- Curricular changes to build strong foundational skills and knowledge

- Enhancing the quality of education across all levels of learning

The policy aims to universalise India's education system and make the country a Global Knowledge Superpower. National Education Policy 2020 encourages Holistic, Integrated, Enjoyable and Engaging learning in aspirants through suitable school pedagogy and curriculum changes. Look at the two most important highlights of NEP –

- Replacing the old 10+2 education system with a new 5+3+3+4 structure.

- Best learning at all levels, from the basic pre-school level to the secondary level.

The National Education Policy 2020 provides a definitive guide for enhancing innovation, quality, and excellence in the Indian education system. According to the report, the policy's objective is to boost the Gross Enrolment Ratio in education, including vocational education, from 26.3% in 2018 to 50% by 2035.

What is the Benefit of National Education Policy 2020?

The NEP 2020, released by the Ministry of Education (MoE), strongly emphasises online and digital learning to make education easily accessible to every aspirant in India. It replaces the old national education policy, formulated way back in 1986 and modified in 1992 and 1998.

The new policy has launched a new 5+3+3+4 education system that replaces the existing 10+2 education system. This new education method includes a base of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for age 3 to enhance learning and well-being for aspirants.

The New Education Policy promotes choice-based flexible education where aspirants can select subjects to become well-rounded individuals with diverse knowledge and skill sets. Mentioned below are the benefits of the new education policy –

- The aspirants will receive the right education to improve their ability to write and read.

- The teacher has the chance to rebound their relationship with students and their parents.

- The aspirants will be provided with foundation numeracy and literacy.

- The health and nutrition of the aspirant will be addressed, including their mental health.

- Students start enjoying coming to school because of smart teaching methods.

- The students will get to know about Indian Sign Language.

- The NEP 2020 will aid the students in enhancing their learning and critical thinking ability.

As per the NEP 2020, a new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) a comprehensive curriculum to guide the development and growth of learning in the country is being developed. The framework serves as a guideline for designing textbooks and subjects and informs teaching practices in the country.

National Curriculum Framework - An Overview

NCF for the education system has been launched by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. To know more about the curriculum, look at the listed below education phase, which will help you understand why the old policy has to change -

1. Foundational Phase (5 years) - 3 years of pre-primary followed by classes 1 and 2

2. Preparatory Phase (3 years) - Classes 3 to 5

3. Middle Phase (3 years) - Classes 6 to 8

4. Secondary Phase (4-year) - Classes 9-12

National Curriculum Framework is a key component of NEP 2020 that enables school owners to implement the objectives of the new policy.

Conclusion

NEP 2020 raised the bar for school management and parents. While schools are looking to implement the features of National Education Policy 2020, parents want the inclusion of everything understandable and contemporary in the curriculum.