NEP 2020 - CAPTURING WHAT YOUNG INDIA WANTS

  A nation cannot prosper unless the people are not educated. Education is a tool which if used with effectiveness, can solve many hostile problems of a nation and can empower the masses. Same works for India if it truly aspires to bring robust change for the progress of the nation then it has to offer quality education to all. However, this education in India for long has mostly remained confined to rote learning leaving narrow scope for innovations. The new education policy, which is much in the discussion, has outlined and recommended robust changes in the prevailing education system, which might open avenues for innovations.

                                 

  The most notable change which deserves to be welcomed is that this education policy document proposes that the segregation of streams after 10^th will be repealed at the school level. The students will have the liberty to choose subjects across all the streamlines. This will enable students to gain knowledge in multiple disciplines and will transform young minds into multi-taskers which is the need of the hour. After all, a student who loves science may also love history, but the current system prevents them from choosing both, but if this system is implemented, they can study both.

  Similarly, NCC, sports, music under the current system are listed under extra-curricular activities beyond the ambit of formal education. Even, scoring on these areas were considered irrelevant and hardly any college would count these scores while granting admission. This gave birth to the popular traditional argument from Indian parents such as "scope Nahi hai”, meaning there is no scope in these areas. Imagine, a field of education which gave us Sachin Tendulkar, famous singers and many others was viewed as something having no scope just because these were extra-curricular activities having no connect to formal education.

  However, now, this new education policy has dissolved the disconnect between mainstream education and extra-curricular activities. This means that now scoring in physical education, music, painting, sports will be no less valuable than what you score in math's, or science. New education policy also intends to redefine the meaning of education among society which was centred on gaining knowledge in traditional disciplines such as history or mathematics. Now every activity, including sports, music, debate, and painting, will be seen as an exercise of getting educated along with traditional subjects. 

  I hope you remember your first day of school. Very often, many of us cry because, under such small age, we wanted to play, but our schools had always focused on making us learn from texts and then give the exams from the very first day. This new education policy has recommended changing this scenario by introducing school education for children's from 3 years of age. For the first five years in school, which is the foundation stage, the children’s will learn to play, paint and explore their interests. There will be no exams for them till class 2.  This step will make learning fun for children’s and will encourage students to attend schools without any stress. Various reports suggest that due to the lack of skills, many young people are unqualified in the job market. Keeping this in mind, the new education policy proposes to introduce coding from class 6, which will help students to learn about making software and websites from their initial stage. This will prove beneficial to acquire jobs in the IT sector and will also reduce the stress in the IT sector to train its employees in accordance with the job market. In between class 9-12, the students will also have the option to study several foreign languages which will assist students in the globalization world.

 From the prospect of higher education also, this new policy document has placed a constructive and welcome pathway before India. First, the graduation will be of total 4 years, but it has been divided into certain levels.

  After completing one year, the student will get a certificate of graduation. Similarly, after completing two years, the student will get a graduate diploma certificate, and after three 3 years, it will become a full graduate degree. It means that even if someone completes one or two years, it will retain some value in the market. Apart from this, it also gives the multi-option entry and exit option, which means that if someone after completing one or two years of total 4 years graduation leaves but again if they wish to continue, they may continue from where they had left earlier. There is no need to start from the beginning, and this step is one of the most holistic approaches.  The annual dropout rate in colleges of India is high, and this multi entry-exit system will drastically reduce this. This new policy has also tried to minimize the barriers of language while taking education. It has introduced an option for students to gain knowledge in their own regional language till 5th standard for better understanding.

  There was also an issue about government spending less on education from GDP and in the year 1964, Kothari commission had recommended a 6% allocation of GDP for education, but it was never implemented. This new education policy has allowed spending 6% of GDP from education from now 3% of GDP, which means the spending on education will be doubled. This will definitely help India to overhaul its educational infrastructures.

  If this new education policy is implemented effectively, the dreams of young India will get new wings to fly high.