Policy

2. New Education policy

3. 1. What are the salient features of new Education policy 2020
• All higher education institutions, except legal and medical colleges, to be governed by a single regulator​.
• Common norms to be in place for private and public higher education institutions.
• MPhil courses to be discontinued.
• Board exams to be based on knowledge application.
• Home language, mother tongue or regional language to be medium of instruction up to class 5.
• Common entrance exams to be held for admission to universities and higher education institutions.
• School curriculum to be reduced to core concepts; integration of vocational education from class 6.
• Multilingualism is the underlying principle of this policy.
• Using the power of language for integration and for understanding of Indian culture and values is the intended objective.
• In Grades 6-8, focus is on vocational studies in school- level, which includes carpentry, electric work, metal work, gardening,
pottery making etc., as decided by States and local communities.

4. • Experiential learning including arts-integrated and sports-integrated education as well as story-telling-based pedagogy.
• The existing 10+2 structure in school education will be modified with a new pedagogical and curricular restructuring of
5+3+3+4 covering ages 3-18. This means the first five years of school will comprise of the foundation stage. The next three
years will be divided into a preparatory stage from classes 3 to 5. Later, there will be three years of middle stage
(classes 6 to 8), and four years of secondary stage (classes 9 to 12).

5. 1(a) what are the basic differences in the challenges of Primary sector and tertiary education.
Primary Education:
• The primary education in India is divided into two parts, namely Lower Primary (Class I-IV) and Upper Primary
(Middle school, Class V-VIII).
• Emphasis is more on primary education (Class I-VIII) also referred to as elementary education, to children aged 6 to 14
Years old. Because education laws are given by the states, duration of primary school visit alters between the states.
• The government has also banned child labour in order to ensure that the children do not enter unsafe working conditions.
• However, both free education and the ban on child labour are difficult to enforce due to economic disparity and social
conditions.
• 80% of all recognized schools at the elementary stage are government run or supported, making it the largest provider of
education in the country.
Tertiary Education:
• Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following
the completion of secondary education.
The World Bank, defines tertiary education as including universities as well as trade schools and colleges.

6. • The main governing body at the tertiary level is the University Grants Commission (India) (UGC), which enforces its
standards, advises the government, and helps co-ordinate between the centre and the state up to Post graduation and
Doctorate (Ph.D.).
• Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by 12 autonomous institutions established by the University Grants
Commission.
2. How many policies we had so far and what was the fundamental objective of each which makes every policy unique.
Education Under British Rule
• The education system was first developed in the three presidencies (Bombay, Calcutta and Madras). By linking entrance and
advancement in government service to academic education, colonial rule contributed to the legacy of an education system
geared to preserving the position and prerogatives of the more privileged.
• In the early 1900’s, the Indian National Congress called for national education, placing an emphasis on technical and
vocational training.
• In 1920 Congress initiated a boycott of government-aided and government-controlled schools and founded several
‘national’ schools and colleges.

7. Nehru’s Vision for Education
• Following Independence, school curricula were imbued with the twin themes of inclusiveness and national pride.
• The most notable feature is the entrenchment of the pluralist/secularist perspective in the minds of the Indian people.
• Subsidized quality higher education through institutions such as the IITs and IIMs formed a major contribution to the
Nehruvian vision of a self-reliant and modern Indian state.
• In addition, policies of positive discrimination in education and employment furthered the case for access by hitherto
unprivileged social groups to quality education.
The Kothari Commission
• Education for modernization, national unity and literacy drawing on Nehru’s vision, and articulating most of his key themes,
the Kothari Commission (1964–1966) was set up to formulate a coherent education policy for India.
• According to the commission, education was intended to increase productivity, develop social and national unity,
consolidate democracy, modernize the country and develop social, moral and spiritual values.
• To achieve this, the main pillar of Indian education policy was to be free and compulsory education for all children up to
the age of 14.

8. • Other features included the development of languages (Hindi, Sanskrit, regional languages and the three-language formula)
equality of educational opportunities (regional, tribal and gender imbalances to be addressed) and the development and
prioritization of scientific education and research.
• The commission also emphasized the need to eradicate illiteracy and provide adult education.
National Policy on Education
• In 1986, a new education policy, ‘the National Policy on Education (NPE)’ was announced, which was intended to prepare
India for the 21st century.
• The policy emphasized the need for change: ‘Education in India stands at the crossroads today. Neither normal linear
expansion nor the existing pace and nature of improvement can meet the needs of the situation.’
• According to the new policy, the 1968 policy goals had largely been achieved: more than 90 per cent of the country’s rural
population were within a kilometer of schooling facilities and most states had adopted a common education structure.
• The prioritization of science and mathematics had also been effective. However, change was required to increase financial
and organizational support for the education system to tackle problems of access and quality.

9. Other Important Initiatives:
• Operation Blackboard (1987–8) aimed to improve the human and physical resources available in primary schools.
• Restructuring and Reorganization of Teacher Education (1987) created a resource for the continuous upgrading of teachers’
knowledge and competence
• Minimum Levels of Learning (1991) laid down levels of achievement at various stages and revised textbooks
• National Programme for Nutritional Support to Primary Education (1995) provided a cooked meal every day for children in
Classes 1–5 of all government, government-aided and local body schools.
• District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) (1993) emphasized decentralized planning and management, improved
teaching and learning materials, and school effectiveness.
• Movement to Educate All (2000) aimed to achieve universal primary education by 2010 through microplanning and
school-mapping exercises, bridging gender and social gaps.
• Fundamental Right (2001) involved the provision of free and compulsory education, declared to be a basic right for children
aged between 6 and 14 years.

10. 3. ASER report and latest conclusion
• More than 20 per cent of students in Standard I are less than six
• 36 per cent students in Standard 1 are older than the RTE-mandated age of six – close to five crore children currently in
elementary school do not have foundational literacy and numeracy skills
• Gender gap in schooling: Parents choose government schools for girl students in the age group of 4 to 8 years while for
boys, they prefer private schools – among 4-5-year-old children, 56.8 per cent girls and 50.4 per cent boys are enrolled in
government schools or pre-schools, while 43.2 per cent girls and 49.6 per cent boys are enrolled in private pre-schools or
schools
• Across all age groups enrolled in standard I, girls in private schools are performing better than their male counterparts.
The emphasis, as ASER 2019 emphasises, should be on “developing problem-solving faculties and building memory of
children, and not content knowledge”.
• The report says that among children in the early years (ages 0-8), those with mothers who had completed eight or fewer
years of schooling are more likely to be attending anganwadis or government pre-primary classes, whereas their peers
whose mothers had studied beyond the elementary stage are more likely to be enrolled in private LKG/UKG classes.
• ASER 2019 also shows how, among 4- and 5-year-olds who were administered a four-piece puzzle and 6- to 8-year-olds who
were asked to solve a 6-piece puzzle, those whose mothers had completed Class 11 or more had a higher chance of solving
these cognitive tasks.

11. 4. How NEP is linked with Sustainable development goals.
The new national Education Policy and Sustainable Development Goal 4 share the goals of universal quality education and
lifelong learning.
Targets
• By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to
relevant and Goal-4 effective learning outcomes.
• By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education
so that they are ready for primary education.
• By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education,
including university.
• By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational
skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
• By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training
for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.
• By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.

12. • By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including,
among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality,
promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s
contribution to sustainable development.
• Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive
and effective learning environments for all.
• By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least
developed countries, small island developing states and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including
vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes,
in developed countries and other developing countries.
• By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international co-operation for teacher
training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states.
• The target of NEP 2020 is by 2025 at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have
exposure to vocational education, for which a clear action plan with targets and timelines will be developed. This is in
alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 4.4 and will help to realize the full potential of India ’s demographic
dividend.

13. 5. How vocational education is given importance in the new education policy
• Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft
or trade i.e. trades person or artisan.
Vocational education is sometimes referred to as career and technical education.
• The policy talks about introducing vocational courses in secondary schools “in a phased manner over the next decade”.
NEP also talks about setting up “skill labs” in collaboration with polytechnics and local industries. There is also a proposal to
set up vocational courses through online mode.
• NEP states: “A concerted national effort will be made to ensure universal access and affordable opportunity to all children
of the country to obtain quality holistic education–including vocational education - from preschool to Class 12.”
• The introduction of vocational courses with internships would help streamline vocational education in India.
6. What are the contentious provisions.
Language policy:
• The provision for education in mother tongue till class 5 could pose challenges to the mobility of students in a large and
diverse country like India.
• The option to study in a language like English or Hindi that enables a transfer nationally needs adequate attention.

14. Resentment by states:
• The idea of a National Higher Education Regulatory Council as an apex control organisation and a national body for aptitude
tests is bound to be resented by States.
• In a federal system, any educational reform can be implemented only with support from the States, and the Centre has the
task of building a consensus on the ambitious plans.
Other challenges:
• The lack of popularity of vocational training and the ‘blue-collarisation’ of vocations in the society act as obstacles in the
introduction of vocational training in school.
• The shift to a four-year undergraduate college degree system may lead to a situation where overzealous parents may
stream their children into professions at the earliest thus burdening the students further.
• There will be legal complexities surrounding the applicability of two operative policies namely The Right to Education Act,
2009 and the New Education Policy, 2020.
• Certain provisions such as the age of starting schooling will need to be deliberated upon, in order to resolve any
conundrum between the statute and the recently introduced policy in the longer run.

15. 7. India is said to be the demographic dividend capital of world. How this NEP will help us to use this population.
• The NEP is expected to deliver the much-awaited demographic dividend that experts have long spoken about.
India has one of the youngest populations in the world and an asset called the “demographic dividend,” which
has been extensively studied by researchers and academics alike.
• A 2017 Bloomberg News analysis of UN population data showed that India will have the world’s largest workforce by
2027 – more than one billion people, accounting for 18 per cent of the global labour force.
• Demographically, India is the youngest country in the world – half its population is under 25 and two-thirds are younger
than 35. Just as China’s current 50-years-plus generation helped lift it from poverty to middle-income status over the past
three decades, India’s youth will have to deliver for India over the next three.

16. MCQS
Q. Consider the following statements regarding to ASER Report:
1. It is sample based household survey.
2. It aims to provide reliable annual estimates of children’s schooling status as well as basic learning levels for each state and
rural district in India.
3. ASER has reported on the ability to do basic reading and arithmetic tasks for children in primary school group in Rural India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
All of the above
Answer: A
Explanation –
ASER-
ASER is sample-based household survey and largest citizen-led survey in India.
It is an annual survey that aims to provide reliable annual estimates of children’s schooling status and basic learning levels for each
state and rural district in India Every year since 2005, ASER has reported on the ability to do basic reading and arithmetic tasks for
children in the 5-16 age group in Rural India. In 2017, ASER 'Beyond Basics' focused on the abilities, experiences, and aspirations of
youth in the 14-18 age group.

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