On 11th November, India celebrates the National Education Day in the memory of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was India’s first Education Minister and the man behind IITs and IISc. In 2017, on the occasion of national education day, PM Modi remembered him for his contribution to the country. Will the education policy in India carry his legacy forward?
Education is one of the basic necessities for a country to grow. Good education pays off in many ways. So, here we are to discuss the new education policy in India. The achievements in the Education domain have been nominal. Indian University Rankings have not been impressive for quite some time. Since no Indian university made to the top 10 of the QS World University Rankings 2019. National Policy on Education 2019 attempts to improve this.
National Education Policy
The new education policy in India brings a lot on the table. For the most part, the new education policy in India focuses on improving the system as a whole. Here are some highlights of the new education policy:
- The National Policy on Education 2019 focuses on an India-centred education system. Which further contributes to transforming the country sustainably.
- Focus on the development of core capacities and 21st-century life skills.
- Shutting down of sub-standard teacher training institutes.
- Furthermore, a 4-year Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.) will be compulsory for teachers.
- The three-language formula will not include Hindi in non-Hindi states.
- Setting up of ‘Special Education Zones’ for underprivileged regions across India
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Expansion of NCERT to focus on the curriculum and learning structure for early education. It might make or break the new education policy in India.
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Liberal undergraduate education framework will be coupled with rigorous specialization in a field to focus on expertise.
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Masters, doctoral, professional and vocational programs will be enhanced by being located in multidisciplinary institutions and via a liberal education approach.
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Formation of a new National Research Foundation to fund, mentor and build quality research set up across the country.
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No setting up of stand-alone universities for professional education.
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Institutional governance will be based on full autonomy—academic, administrative and financial—for all higher education institutions with financial certainty and backing
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Funding, Accreditation, and Regulation will be done by separate independent bodies.
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Furthermore, the National Higher Education Regulatory Authority will be the sole regulator for higher education.
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Finally, the formation of Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog will implement the education policy in India.
Child Education Plan India
- To begin with, the Content load on students will be reduced
- The child education plan India wants to expand the spectrum of the Right to Education. Currently, the RTE caters for free education to children in the age bracket of 6 to 14 years. The new provision is to expand it to the bracket of 3 to 18 years.
- Restructuring of curriculum and teaching in a 5+3+3+4 system. In brief, a foundation stage for the first 5 years. Followed by pre-primary and preparatory stages for 3 years each. Finally, a 4-year stage consisting of classes 9, 10,11 and 12.
- Students will have a flexible system to choose subjects. As a result, there’ll be no solid separation between arts and science streams or academic and vocational subjects.
Implementation
Drafting policies and implementing them are two very different things. As a result, if done right the new national policy on education can work wonders. Therefore, a lot depends on how the Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog performs its task.
Conclusion
Overall there are a few missing pieces in the puzzle. Lack of a syllabus overhaul and call on long school hours is very much visible. Despite the tricky language used in the draft. In conclusion, the new education policy in India is good. More importantly, it has come at the right time. India has the largest young population in the world and this policy has the task to cater to their needs.
