Five years of National Education Policy

General Studies Paper-2

Context: The National Education Policy 2020, marked the first comprehensive education policy completed five years since adoption.

Key Features of NEP 2020

• Structural Reform: Shift from the 10+2 system to a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure – covering ages 3-18 across foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary stages.
• Foundational Literacy & Numeracy: Emphasis on basic reading and arithmetic skills through initiatives like NIPUN Bharat for all children by Grade 3.
• Mother Tongue & Multilingualism: Promotes instruction in the mother tongue/regional language up to at least Grade 5 (preferably till Grade 8); advances the three-language formula.
• Holistic & Multidisciplinary Education: Multiple entry/exit options in higher education; flexible subject choices across streams.
• Vocational & Skill Education: Integration of vocational courses and internships from an early stage, with at least 50% learners exposed to vocational education by 2025.
• Technology Integration: National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR), DIKSHA, and PM e-VIDYA as digital platforms for inclusive and scalable education delivery.
• Higher Education Reforms: Push for multidisciplinary institutions, Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), National Research Foundation, and increased autonomy for colleges/universities.
• Universal Access & GER Targets: Universal school access by 2030; gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education to 50% by 2035.

Achievements & Impacts

• School Education: Over 6,400 PM SHRI schools upgraded as model schools in 27 states/UTs.
  • NIPUN Bharat has improved foundational learning outcomes, ASER 2024 shows remarkable progress: 23.4% of Class III students could read Grade II text in 2024, up from 16.3% in 2022.
  • DIKSHA platform has surpassed 5 billion learning sessions.
• Higher Education: Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) portal has onboarded 1,667 institutions and 32 crore Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) IDs have been created.
  • Launch of Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs).
• Equity, Access & Inclusion: Steps taken to mainstream out-of-school children, reduce dropout rates, and improve participation of girls and disadvantaged groups.
  • Higher education enrollment has risen significantly to 4.46 crore students.
  • Enrollment of SC, ST, Muslim, and North-East (NE) students has seen substantial growth, ranging from 36–75%.

Challenges

• Centre–State Federal Tensions: Three-language formula rejected by Tamil Nadu, Kerala citing linguistic imposition.
  • Opposition to schemes like PM SHRI Schools over centralisation fears.
• Resource Constraints: Significant financial investment is needed for infrastructure, teacher training, and digital access, especially in rural/remote areas.
• Digital Divide: Inequities in internet/device access risk exacerbating socio-economic gaps, especially among marginalized populations.
• Language Policy: Concerns over the practicality of widespread mother tongue/vernacular mediums, especially in diverse linguistic settings and for higher education.
• Privatization & Equity: Fears that increasing privatization may hamper affordability and equal access to quality education.

Way Ahead

• Strengthen Centre–State Coordination: Build contextual MoUs with states to localise NEP. Create state-level resource groups for capacity building.
• Bridging Implementation Gaps: Accelerated capacity-building, state support, and regular review of progress are critical.
• Digital and Physical Infrastructure: Investment in devices, internet connectivity, and school infrastructure must continue.
• Inclusive Pedagogy & Curriculum: Regional needs and languages must be addressed; Special focus on SEDGs and inclusive strategies.