New Education Policy 2020: Gross Enrolment Ratio to be raised to 50% by 2035

New Education Policy 2020:  The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved National Education Policy 2020 bringing major reforms in higher education including a target of 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 2035 and provision for multiple entry and exits.

As per the NEP and IITT will be established that will make extensive use of technology to aid in its translation and interpretation efforts.

Image Courtesy: https://twitter.com/PrakashJavdekar

Addressing a press conference here, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said a 21st century National Education Policy (NEP) has been approved by the cabinet today.

“Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given approval to the new education policy for the 21st century. It is important as for 34 years there were no changes in the education policy. I am confident that this will be welcomed by entire society and nation as well as the world’s educators,” he said.

Cabinet Briefing https://t.co/CaAOBSzatB

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) July 29, 2020

Some of the key highlights of the New Education Policy are:

a) The policy aims to enable an individual to study one or more specialized areas of interest at a deep level, and also develop character, scientific temper, creativity, spirit of service, and 21st century capabilities across a range of disciplines including sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, among others.

b) It identified the major problems facing the higher education system in the country and suggested changes such as moving towards multidisciplinary universities and colleges, with more institutions across India that offer medium of instruction in local/Indian languages, a more multidisciplinary undergraduate education, among others. The governance of such institutions by independent boards having academic and administrative autonomy has also been suggested.

c) Under the suggestions for institutional restructuring and consolidation, it has suggested that by 2040, all higher education institutions (HEIs) shall aim to become multidisciplinary institutions, each of which will aim to have 3,000 or more students, and by 2030 each or near every district in the country there will be at least one HEI.

d) The aim will be to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in HEIs including vocational education from 26.3 percent (2018) to 50 percent by 2035.

e) Single-stream HEIs will be phased out over time, and all will move towards becoming vibrant multidisciplinary institutions or parts of vibrant multidisciplinary HEI clusters.

f) It also pushes for more holistic and multidisciplinary education to be provided to the students.

New Education Policy: Highlights

Outcomes of NEP 2020: 

• Universalization from ECCE to Secondary Education by 2030, aligning with SDG4
• Attaining Foundational Learning & Numeracy Skills through National Mission by 2025
• 100% GER in Pre-School to Secondary Level by 2030
• Bring Back 2Cr out of School Children
• Teachers to be prepared for assessment reforms by 2023
• Inclusive & Equitable Education System by 2030
• Board Exams to test core concepts and application of knowledge
• Every Child will come out of School adept in at least one Skill
• Common Standards of Learning in Public & Private Schools

Major Reforms: School Education:

• Board exams will be low stakes & test actual knowledge instead of rote learning
• Mother tongue to be a medium of instruction till 5th grade
• Report cards will be a comprehensive report on skills and capabilities instead of just marks and statements
• National mission to focus on basic literacy and basic numeracy
• Major changes in the pedagogical structure of curriculum with no rigid separation between streams
• All separations between vocational and academic and curricular and extra-curricular will also be removed
• New National Curriculum Framework for ECE, School, Teachers and Adult Education
• Board Examination will be Low Stakes, Based on Knowledge Application
• Medium of Instruction till at least Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond in Home Language/ Mother tongue/ Regional Language
• 360 degree Holistic Progress Card of Child
• Tracking Student Progress for Achieving Learning Outcomes
• National assessment center - PARAKH
• NTA to offer Common Entrance Exam for Admission TO HEIs
• National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST)
• Book Promotion Policy and Digital Libraries
• Transparent online self disclosure for public oversight and accountability
• Universalization of Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE)
• National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
• 5+3+3+4 Curricular and Pedagogical Structure
• Curriculum to integrate 21st Century Skills, Mathematical Thinking and Scientific temper
• No Rigid Separation between Arts & Sciences, between Curricular and extra-Curricular activities, between Vocational and Academic streams
• Education of Gifted Children
• Gender Inclusion Fund
• KGBVs upto Grade 12
• Reduction in Curriculum to Core Concepts
• Vocational integration from Class 6 onwards

Use of Technology:

• Education Planning
• Teaching Learning & Assessment
• Administration & Management
• Regulation- Self Disclosure & Minimum Human Interface
• Increasing Access for Disadvantaged Groups
• Divyang Friendly Education Software
• e-Content in Regional Language
• Virtual Labs
• National Educational Technology Forum (NETF)
• Digitally Equipping Schools, Teachers and Students
• Graded Autonomy: Academic, Administrative & Financial
• Phasing out Affiliation System in 15 years
• National Mission on Mentoring
• Independent Board of Governors (BoG)
• Single Regulator for Higher Education (excluding Legal and Medical)
• On-line Self Disclosure based Transparent System for Approvals in place of 'Inspections'
• Common Norms for Public and Private HEIs
• Private Philanthropic Partnership
• Fee fixation within Board Regulatory Framework
• Public Investment in Education Sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest

Major Reforms: Higher Education:

• 50% Gross Enrollment Ration by 2035
• Holistic and Multidisciplinary Education- Flexibility of Subjects
• Multiple Entry/Exit
• UG Programme - 3 or 4 years
• PG pgrogramme - 1 or 2 years
• Integrated 5 year bachelor's/Master's
• M Phil to be discontinued
• Credit Transfer and Academic Bank of Credits
• HEIs: Research Intensive/ Teaching Intensive Universities and Autonomous Degree Granting College
• Model Multidisciplinary Education and Research University (MERU)
• The present Education Policy was adopted in 1986 which have been continued till date that is for last 34 years
• The country got the education policy after 34 years
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the PM himself, has approved the Draft of National Education Policy today morning.
• The Cabinet has also accepted the puposal of changing name of MHRD to Education Ministry.
• The vision of creating an education system that contributes directly to transforming the country, providing high-quality education to all, and making India a global knowledge superpower.

Download National Education Policy: Click Here