School Education: Changes and challenges under NEP 2020
Muhammad Yasin
Abstract
New Education Policy 2020 is a visionary document based on an expert committee headed by Dr.
Kasturi Rangan former chairman Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Policy documents are
an intent and long-term commitment of the government. it envisages based on its needs analysis and
provides recommendations and pathways by which it means to achieve its commitments and goals.
This paper highlights the components of the School Education in NEP 2020 and compares it with the
earlier policy document of New education policy 1986. Further, it tries to fit in with the existing
practices, legal and policy framework which poses challenges to the existing practices. Lifelong
learning and its integration with the schools has also been discussed to present the picture of a school
as the fulcrum of the educational needs of the community. Some suggestions are proposed to achieve
its objectives.
Keywords: NEP 2020, National Educational Policy 2020, School Education, Lifelong Learning.
New education policy advocates for sweeping reform in all the sectors of education from primary
education to higher education. It recommends multi-disciplinary holistic education which is rooted in
Indian ethos. For accountability, it recommends a light but the tight regulatory framework to ensure
integrity, transparency, and resource efficiency - while encouraging innovation and out-of-the-box
ideas through autonomy, good governance, and empowerment. Substantial investment is
recommended for a strong, vibrant public education system and encourages public philanthropic
activities as a public good and "not for profit". Here I will limit the discussion on School education
only.
The fundamental principles of the policy:
The New Educational Policy NEP (2020) lists the fundamental principles which will guide both the
institution as well as the education system (page 5). It is built upon recognizing, identifying, and
fostering the unique capabilities of every student. It aims to achieve foundational Literacy and
Numeracy at the primary level. It promotes flexibility in the choice of subjects and no hard separation
like science, arts stream. It will try to promote critical thinking and promote creativity, ethics, human
and constitutional values. It will promote languages and life skills. Regular formative assessment will
be the focus. It will utilize the technology extensively. I will aim at equity and inclusion and respect
for diversity and respect for the local context. It recognizes the importance of teachers and states that
they are the heart of the learning process. It talks of a "light but tight" regulatory framework and
finally it aims at promoting outstanding research in the field and promises substantial investment in
education.
Change in Structure:
There is a proposal of Modification in pedagogical and curricular structure from 10+2 (6 to 18 years)
to 5+3+3+4 (3 to 18 years). The stages of education envisaged is as follows:
Foundational Course:
This is of Five years of duration. It begins at 3 years and is up to 8 years. Earlier the formal education
began at 6 years. At the age of 8, the students will complete Class 2. Three years of pre-schooling
plus Class I and Class II have been clubbed together under the heading "Foundational Stage”.
Preparatory Course:
Class III to Class V under the existing structure has been renamed a “Preparatory Stage”. This comes
under the age of 8 to 11. The ability to read and write, and perform basic operations with numbers, is
a necessary foundation and an indispensable prerequisite for all future schooling and lifelong learning
(Pg. 9). The highest priority of the education system will be to achieve universal foundational literacy
and numeracy in primary school by 2025.
Middle School:
Classes 6 to 8 under the ages of 11 to 14 will come under the middle stage. It will a Fun course and
practice-based curriculum for Grades 6-8. It will be appropriately designed by NCERT while framing
the NCFSE 2020-21. Internship with local artisans, vocational education based on local requirements
will be provided.
Secondary School:
Class 9 to 12 under ages of 14 to 18 years have been clubbed as Secondary School. Indian Knowledge
Systems will also be available to students in a secondary school as an elective course.
Early Child Care and Education (E.C.C.E)
National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education
(NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 will be developed by NCERT in two parts, namely, a
sub-framework for 0-3 year-olds, and a sub-framework for 3-8 year-olds, through a significantly
expanded and strengthened system of early-childhood education institutions consisting of (a) standalone Anganwadis; (b) Anganwadis co-located with primary schools; (c) pre-primary
schools/sections covering at least age 5 to 6 years co-located with existing primary schools; and (d)
stand-alone pre-schools. The mid-day meal program shall also be extended to the Preparatory Classes
in primary schools.
Integrating education with online education
The document envisages a world-class dedicated e-learning infrastructure. It will be a dedicated unit
under the ministry. It will provide digital infrastructure for learning and online assessment as well. It
will also promote 21st-century learning skills like creativity, communication skills, critical thinking,
and collaboration. It will also provide a digital tool for online assessment.
Promotion of language education:
The teaching of all languages will be enhanced through innovative and experiential methods,
including through gamification and apps, by weaving in the cultural aspects of the languages - such
as films, theatre, storytelling, poetry, and music - and by drawing connections with various relevant
subjects and with real-life experiences. (NPE-2020). All-out efforts will be made to promote National,
Classical and foreign languages. Indian Sign languages will be standardized across the country for
use by students with hearing impairment respecting local sign languages.
Investment in education:
The Policy commits to significantly raising educational investment, as there is no better investment
towards a society’s future than the high-quality education of our young people. Unfortunately, public
expenditure on education in India has not come close to the recommended level of 6% of GDP, as
envisaged by the 1968 Policy, reiterated in the Policy of 1986, and which was further reaffirmed in
the 1992 review of the Policy. The current public (Government - Centre, and States) expenditure on
education in India has been around 4.43% of GDP.
The current policy endorses its commitment of 6% of GDP canter and state together.
NEP 1986 revisited
The document acknowledged that there had been considerable expansion in educational facilities all
over the country at all levels and the most notable development had been the acceptance of the 10+2+3
system by most states. It also noted the transition phase where "the goals of secularism, socialism,
democracy and professional ethics were coming under increasing strain" (page3, 1.11).
Education is the unique investment in the present and future and is the cardinal principle of NEP,
1986. It provides for National Curriculum Framework with a common core and other flexible
components. Lifelong education to all is a cherished goal that presupposes universal literacy to
continue the education of their choice at a pace suited to them (page 6, 3.11).
It recognized the holistic nature of child development viz nutrition health and physical moral and
emotional development Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) would receive high priority and
would be suitably integrated with Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
It encouraged correspondence courses and continuing education which would be recognized at par
with other regular courses. It would provide for continuous education already engaged in the
profession.
It is recommended for adopting three language formulas along with the promotion of Hindi, Sanskrit,
other national and foreign languages. It also recommended for scientific, technical, and vocational
Education for the masses and would put special emphasis to bridge the urban and rural divide and
strive for promoting equity.
It also established Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in every district of the country as a pace-setting
institution providing quality modern education with a strong component of culture with students
predominantly selected from rural areas.
NCF 2005 and proposed NCFSE 2020-21
The National Curriculum Framework 2005 will continue to guide the education system till another
NCF evolves. NCF 2005 underscores the significance of making curriculum “An inclusive and
meaningful experience for children”. All curriculum and pedagogy, from the foundational stage
onwards, will be redesigned to be strongly rooted in the Indian and local context and ethos. The
formulation of a new and comprehensive National Curricular Framework for School Education,
NCFSE 2020-21, will be undertaken by the NCERT.
Board exams:
Board exams will be redesigned to encourage holistic development; students will be able to choose
any of the subjects in which they take Board exams, depending on their individualized interests. Board
exams will also be made easier, to save it from the menace of coaching culture. To further eliminate
the ‘high stakes ’aspect of Board Exams, all students will be allowed to take Board Exams on up to
two occasions during any given school year, one main examination and one for improvement, if
desired.
All the students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 which will be conducted by the
appropriate authority. The Grade 3 examination, in particular, would test basic literacy, numeracy,
and other foundational skills.
It is proposed to set up a National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review,
and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), as a standard-setting body under MHRD that
fulfills the basic objectives of setting norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment and
evaluation for all recognized school boards of India, guiding the State Achievement Survey (SAS)
and undertaking the National Achievement Survey (NAS),
Efficient Resourcing and Effective Governance through School Complexes/Clusters:
One possible mechanism for accomplishing the above would be the establishment of a grouping
structure called the school complex, consisting of one secondary school together with all other schools
offering lower grades in its neighborhood including Anganwadis, in a radius of five to ten kilometers.
To further enhance cooperation and positive synergy among schools, including between public and
private schools, the twinning/pairing of one public school with one private school will be adopted
across the country, so that such paired schools may meet/interact with each other, learn from each
other, and also share resources, if possible. Best practices of private schools will be documented,
shared, and institutionalized in public schools, and vice versa, where possible. Furthermore, the unutilized capacity of school infrastructure could be used to promote social, intellectual, and volunteer
activities for the community and to promote social cohesion during non-teaching / schooling hours
and may be used as a “Samajik Chetna Kendra” NPE-2020.
The concept is revolutionary and based on efficient and optimal utilization of resources. A similar
concept has also been advocated and successfully implemented and being practiced in Japan, China
Korea. The concept of the School as a Learning Community (SLC) was advocated by professor Sato
and is based on, ‘The genealogy of Democracy’, Vygotskian psychology, and the theories derived
from Schön’s ‘The reflective Practitioner’. The implementation depended upon the efficient leader
qualities of the Principals who were themselves highly qualified. It also reflects the realization of
education as a human right and allows the stakeholders to listen to each other, shared commitment
and learning together, and learning for all from students, teachers, and parents.
Instead of closing down the one teacher schools scattered along with the remote habitats, it could be
developed as the center of foundation learning for the children aged from 3 to 8 as envisaged in NEP
2020. However, It requires significant investment, support, and will power the local and state
governments.
A comprehensive policy that fulfills the needs of ECCE on the one hand and resourcing of complexes
for efficient management will go a long way in addressing the twin situation of opening and closures
of schools.
Educational Administration:
Department of School Education, which is the apex state-level body in school education, will be
responsible for overall monitoring and policymaking. The directorate of school education will be
responsible for service conditions. State School Standards Authority (SSSA) will establish a minimal
set of standards based on basic parameters (namely, safety, security, basic infrastructure, number of
teachers across subjects and grades, financial probity, and sound processes of governance)
Since education is a concurrent subject, it will need careful planning, joint monitoring, and
collaborative implementation between the Centre and States. Timely infusion of requisite resources human, infrastructural, and financial - at the Central and State levels will be crucial for the satisfactory
execution of the Policy.
The SCERT will develop a School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAAF)
through wide consultations with all stakeholders.
Apart from efficient administration mechanisms in the states there is a need for continuous monitoring
and providing a support system to the existing schools which are lacking especially in poorperforming states.
Challenges and possible Pathways:
School Management Committee and SCMC
Article 21 of the RTE Act 2009 specifies for constitution of the School Management Committee in
the schools consisting of elected members and guardians of the children and perform the following
functions
1. Monitor the working of the school.
2. Prepare and recommend school development plan.
3. Monitor the utilization of grants
4. Other functions as may be prescribed
The role of SMC particularly in rural areas has not been of encouraging one. The same also applies
to SCMC. Cluster management committee. Quality monitoring is not possible without robust support
from the school’s administration itself. A robust system of quality monitoring mechanism irrespective
of the type of school is the need of the hour.
Coaching Culture, EdTech profiteering, and reduction of the syllabus:
The policy document has recommended reducing the syllabus and making the board exams easy to
fight the coaching culture in the schools. It would be detrimental to the capacity building of learners
for generations to come. It will severely affect their chance to compete in the job market. The school
certification will have no value in the job market as skill and Competency will have an edge over it.
The coaching culture has emerged due to a gap in the quality of education provided by the existing
schools. Instead of repairing the damage and aggressively monitoring the quality of the education,
simply reducing the syllabus and easing the exam will do more harm to the already deteriorating
system of education.
While fighting the coaching culture we have forgotten that EdTech companies have already taken
over the coaching spaces during the pandemics. The recent takeover of the Aakash Institute, a chain
of medical and engineering coaching classes for billions of rupees by Byju’s learning app is an
example. The emerging tech business is making the most of the pandemic situation. While the schools
are struggling to Meet and Zoom the regular classes the Startup like Byju’s and established businesslike Amazon, Tata's, Birla's, and many others are vying for a slice of profit-making mockery of
education being public good. With their innovative content creation and adopting gamification,
education has truly become an engaging, entertaining, and exciting journey from playschool to
cracking IAS for the children who can afford the emerging platform. The stark digital divide may
prove a graveyard for the term’s equity and inclusion in the field of education.
Lifelong Learning:
On the one hand, India is facing massive unemployment and at the same, there is a shortage of skilled
manpower that can meet the demand of the fastest growing knowledge economy.
At the moment about 1.2 crore youth need to be skilled and by 2025, another 250 million youth are
estimated to enter the Indian workforce. There is tremendous potential for employable youth to enter
the workforce if the right steps are followed.
This orientation towards lifelong learning is a critical component in preparing the youth for the future
job market and professional development.
Education is a human right and key to sustainable development goals as stated by H.E. Stefan
Krawielicki, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the Federal Republic of Germany to UNESCO.
‘The whole 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is grounded on the principle of lifelong
learning, ’said Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, during an
information session on the contribution of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) to
‘Making lifelong learning for all a reality.
NEP 2020 has identified the importance of universal literacy and competency in reading, writing, and
numeracy as important factors to promote lifelong learning. It has rightly pointed out that the schools
could be utilized as learning centers for youth and adults. Its campus could be utilized on holidays
and after working hours.
Although multiple systems exist in form of NIOS, SSA for non-formal education, there is a lack of
coordination and the schools are not the focal point of lifelong learning and are not geared to provide
support to children and youth who are willing to continue learning after a brief pause. In this regard
pathways as suggested by Madhu Singh and others (2018) suggest that the schools should adopt the
recognition, verification, and Accreditation (RVA) framework so that a learner can move ahead based
upon his previous learning and should be able to gain knowledge as required and his learning should
be accredited for his professional development.
Intervention in education is critical for sustainable growth. Providing a framework in consultation
with the stakeholders at School and Cluster level, along with material support will go a long way in
realizing the vision of providing education inclusively and equitably.