New Education System In India 2020

The foundation for the development of a country lies in its education system.
A proper education system can build a nation of harmony and sensibility.
Advancements in technological evolutions are prominent in a highly literate country influenced by the nation’s education policy.
According to a report, India’s literacy rate is 77.7% with Kerala being the topmost state in terms of literacy rate, i.e. 96.2% and Andhra still stands at a literacy rate of 66%.
Increasing literacy rates is the key to nurture the future of children and the country.
The new education system in India is framed with the goal to achieve a holistic education prospering in every corner of the country, through improvement in the quality of education.

Aim Of The New Education System In India

According to President Ram Nath Kovind, the new national education policy aims to meet the twin needs of the 21st century that are inclusion and excellence.
The president said that the policy would set the long-term vision of equality in society by providing high-quality education to every individual.
The points below can well describe the aim of the new education system -

Enhancing the skills of critical thinking, creativity to foster rational decision-making capacity.
Free flow of communication between teacher and students.
To achieve a 100% gross enrollment ratio in schools by 2030.
To enhance the gross enrollment ratio in higher education by 50% till the year 2035.
The ultimate aim of the national education policy, 2020 would be to make India a global superpower of knowledge by bringing in revolutionary changes in the process of education.
But what are the reforms included in the new education system that will make India walk towards the path of enlightenment?

Salient features of NEP or National Education Policy

Modification In The School Education System

The school curriculum will be revamped by reducing the board exam syllabus.
The curriculum will be limited to only core specifications of the subject.
The main purpose of the content is to encourage the implementation of ideas through critical thinking.
The problem-solving approach will be at the forefront.
The focus will be on experiential learning, inquiry-based learning, discovery-based method of studying, analysis-based learning, and interaction or discussion-based method of learning.
Through the free flow of communication, education will be more interactive.
To maintain a healthy learning environment, the system will keep the children’s physical and mental health under vigilance through regular check-ups and counselling sessions.
The children’s report card will show the marks in all the subjects and flaunt their performance in other skills and display other important points for the guardian’s reference.

The 5+3+3+4 Model Will Replace The Current 10+2 Structure

The 5+3+3+4 model means that the children will go through a foundational stage of 5 years, a preparatory stage of 3 years, the middle stage of 3 years, and the secondary stage of 4 years.
The segregation of these stages has been outlined in consideration of the children’s cognitive-developmental stages in their early childhood years of learning, school years, and secondary school life.
The 5 years of the foundational stage will constitute three years of Anganwadi or pre-school following two years of primary classes, class 1 and 2.
This stage is for the children belonging to the age group of 3 to 8 years.
The preparatory stage is for the children from 8 to 11 years for classes 3 to 5.
Developing language skills and numeracy skills will be the prime focus through activity-based and simple discovery-based methods of learning.
The middle stage of 3 years will be for the children of 11 to 14 years of age studying in classes 6 to 8.
This stage will observe a major shift in the education system by replacing rote learning with experimental learning of maths, science, arts, and social studies by setting critical learning goals.
The last stage is for students of 9 to 12 belonging to the age group of 14 to 18 years.
The vital change in the education system of this stage is the freedom of choice of the subjects.
It will integrate the vocational curriculum with arts and crafts, science, and mathematics.

Focus On Regional Languages

The National Education Policy,2020 shifts the focus towards implementing mother tongue as the medium of instruction.
However, it states that no single language can be inflicted on anyone.
It also states that children understand concepts more quickly and easily in their own language.
The policy emphasises to include local or regional language up to grade 5 at least or till Grade 8 and instruct in regional language whenever necessary.
Although it is not made compulsory for states, both private and public schools are still engrossed in this policy, as the policy further states that the medium of instruction should be the local or regional language wherever possible.

Emphasis On Vocational Education In School

Every student will take up at least one vocational subject at the school level and will be given multiple vocational education options.
During classes 6 to 8, vocational crafts like metalwork, portrait making, gardening, electricity work, and carpentry work will be implemented in the school curriculum that will be decided by the state authority.
The policy aims to involve 50% of learners in vocational education by the year 2025. Internship programs will be set up for 10 days for the classes 6 to 8 to receive vocational training by local vocational training experts.
Classes 8 to 12 will also get this opportunity to develop their skills.

Digitisation Of Educational Processes

The system of e-education will be built to meet the needs of the progressive environment.
The Pandemic has already created various digital platforms for teaching.
The intention is to improve on the digital mediums through higher-quality digital content.
Apart from Hindi and English, e-content will be developed in eight local and regional languages as well.
Vocational courses will also be made online.
Apps and tv channels will provide digital concepts in the adult learning process.
Coding skills will be taught to the students of class 6 and above, all of which will be made easier by digitising the learning process.

Early Childhood Care And Education Curriculum

Ministers of HRD, women and child development, tribal affairs ministry, and health and family welfare will work together to plan and implement the early childhood care and education curriculum.
NCERT will develop a national curriculum and pedagogic framework for early childhood care for children up to 8 years of age.
The aim is to provide education in the early years that will build a firm foundation for a lifetime.
The healthy brain function through developing cognitive skills essential at this stage of learning will be the prime focus of the new education policy 2020.

In Conclusion

The new education policy in India will follow competency-based learning, replacing the traditional method of rote learning.
The classes will be more interactive rather than just listening in lecture-based classes.
The revamping of the curriculum will address the needs of 21st-century learning.
The policy will focus on various skills other than the core subjects such as social, moral skills like empathy, cultural awareness, teamwork, collaboration, leadership skills, and many more to prepare the students for future endeavours.
The hard skills and soft skills and the vocational courses will prepare the student with hands-on experience on the skills of their interest.
The education system will be flexible as students will not have to opt for any one stream like arts, science, or commerce.
The vision is to educate holistically for the multidisciplinary world.

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2) Applying For an Education Loan? Read This Before Signing Over The Dotted Line
3) How to open a school? Tips for opening a school
4) Best Ideas To Make Pocket Money For Students.