After thirty four years, the new National Education Policy (NEP) was passed by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, July 29 (without being discussed in parliament). Praised and criticized in equal measure, the policy aims at making India "a global knowledge superpower."While certainly a very ambitious policy, it is not unwelcome considering the notoriously rigid curriculum followed these past few decades. It includes a myriad of changes; starting with a "5+3+3+4" design corresponding to age groups 3-8(foundational stage), 8-11(preparatory), 11-14(middle) and 14-18(secondary).
The NEP commendably broadens the horizons of higher education. It aims to have 'no rigid' distinction between science, commerce and arts - a change very much needed, though a little late. Well, better late than never! Also, more focus will be given to vocational courses. Exams will only be conducted in classes 3, 5, 8 and board exams will be made holistic and easier. Furthermore, four year undergraduate programs will be introduced with multiple exit options.(This pitch interestingly comes six years after the Delhi University faced the center's ire and was forced to scrap such a programme.)The M.Phil programme will be discontinued - so one can apply for a PhD directly after masters. All institutions of higher education will be made multidisciplinary by 2040. Meaning, students will be able to pick a wider variety of courses. Even the highly sought after IITs will include liberal arts and humanities courses. In addition to this, the policy gives free reign to leading foreign universities to set up a campus in India. Whether they take up this offer, however, remains to be seen.
While all these changes seem to be a step towards the future, another policy of the NEP that caused quite a stir is the "three - language policy".The Tamil Nadu government has already rejected it. With an intention of providing education in the mother tongue wherever possible till class 5 and possibly extended to class 8 - it is a cause for concern. With the advent of such a policy arise many questions.In a country like India, home to 19,500 languages/dialects spoken as mother tongues is this even possible?(source:https://www.google.com/amp/s/indianexpress.com/article/india/more-than-19500-mother-tongues-spoken-in-india-census-5241056/lite/). And what of books - can languages like Sanskrit be upgraded to include 21st century lingo? To be able to express the language of computers? Not to mention the availability of teachers, who will have to be recruited and trained rigorously. What happens to children of army officials and civil servants? How would they continue to learn in their mother tongue while having to move all over the country?
The policy also states that English will be optional up to class 8. Today English is the language of the world.Keeping it as optional for a majority of the foundational period seems foolhardy.Everyone from the Chinese, Japanese to the French are putting copious amounts of effort into learning the language.Downplaying its necessity is a disadvantage only to us.
In my opinion, some of the ideas put forth by the NEP(particularly regarding higher education)are paramount to put the Indian education system and students at par with those of other countries. Notwithstanding these, there are a few worrisome suggestions. The three language policy being the primary one. The emphasis on learning in the mother tongue is especially detrimental for the marginalized community. English, in our country is a token of being well bred and is widely associated with employability and privilege. A study cited communication in English as a reason for dropouts of students from the economically weaker sections in private schools.
"Class-based inequality will widen in India, as those who are able to afford posh English-medium education in the cities pull further ahead of talent from the hinterland.”
Moreover, research has shown that parents prefer to send boys to private schools and girls to government schools. Consequently, girls will not have an equal opportunity to learn English. Also, if foreign universities did set up campuses here, they would have an exorbitant fee. This would privatise higher education and lead to student debt (as seen in USA).
Then again, we must keep in mind that the NEP is only an idea as of now. Not a law. It is yet to be discussed in parliament. The grandiose policy makes implementation no easy feat and might take upto two decades(as the government claimed)to come in full force. Only time will tell whether or not the government will be able to deliver on its promise and truly make India a global knowledge superpower.
References:
The Indian Express: Explained: Reading the National Education Policy, 2020
Feminism In India: Why we must be critical of the New Education Policy 2020
Hindustan Times: New Education Policy 2020 highlights
India Today: The RSS impact on New Education Policy
Daily O: Why the New Education Policy 2020 is full of loopholes - Arunima Sinha
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