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National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
Why is it in news?
- The Union Cabinet approved the new National Education Policy (NEP).
- The NEP 2020 proposes several structural changes in the early as well as the higher education system.
Key Highlights of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020:
- Universal Access: NEP 2020 envisions universalisation of early childhood education from ages 3 to 6 by 2030.
- Open Learning: NEP 2020 provides for open learning for classes 3, 5 and 8 through NIOS and State Open Schools, secondary education programs equivalent to Grades 10 and 12, vocational courses, adult literacy and life-enrichment programs.
- Multilingualism and Sanskrit:
(1) NEP 2020 advocates for mother tongue/ local language as the medium of instruction at least till Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.
(2) Sanskrit to be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an option for students.
(3) Other classical languages and literatures of India also to be available as options.
- Evaluation and Assessment:
(1) All students will have to take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8.
(2) Board exams for Grades 10 and 12 will be continued, but to be redesigned and made easier.
(3) PARAKH: A new National Assessment Centre, called Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH), will be set up as a standard-setting body.
- Social Inclusion:
(1) NEP 2020 provides for setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund
(2) There will be Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups.
Vocational Courses:
(1) A National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy will ensure basic skills at the Class 3 level by 2025.
(2) By 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education.
- Financial support for students: Efforts will be made to incentivise the merit of students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and other SEDGs.
- Investing in Education: NEP aims to increase the public investment in the education sector from the current 4.3 per cent to reach 6 per cent of GDP at the earliest.
- Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) shall be established which would digitally store the academic credits earned from various recognized HEIs so that the degrees from an HEI can be awarded taking into account credits earned.
- National Research Foundation will be created as an apex body for fostering a strong research culture and building research capacity across higher education.
- Common Regulator for Higher Education: Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body for entire higher education (excluding medical and legal education).