NEP: Education in mother tongue up to class 5; RTE to cover all children up to 18

July 29, 2020

New Delhi: Extension of right to education to cover all children between three and 18 years of age, and mother tongue or the regional/local language to be medium of instruction up to Class 5 in all schools are some of the key highlights of the New Education Policy(NEP) approved by the Government on Wednesday.

The NEP 2020 provides that Sanskrit will be offered at all levels and foreign languages from the secondary school level, but it also says “no language will be imposed on any student”.

The key highlights of the New Education Policy is use of technology in teaching, learning and assessment, a single regulator for higher education, graded autonomy for colleges, and phasing out of the affiliation system in 15 years. It also includes formation of the National Research Foundation, internationalisation of education and multiple entry and exit for students and an academic bank of credit.

The NEP proposes to do away with exams being held every year. Instead, school students will sit only for three – at Classes 3, 5 and 8. Assessment in other years will shift to a “regular and formative” style that is more “competency-based, promotes learning and development and tests higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking and conceptual clarity”.

Classes 10 and 12 will continue to have boar exams but even these will be re-designed with “holistic development” as the aim. Standards for this will be established by a new national assessment

The NEP 2020 proposes a four-year undergraduate programme with multiple exit options to give students flexibility. A multi-disciplinary bachelor’s degree will be awarded after completing four years of study. Students exiting after two years will get a diploma and those leaving after 12 months will be have studied a vocational/professional course. MPhil (Master of Philosophy) courses are to be discontinued.

A Higher Education Council of India (HECI) will be set up to regulate higher education; the focus will be on institutions that have 3,000 or more students. Among the council’s goals is to increase gross enrolment ratio from 26.3 per cent (2018) to 50 per cent by 2035. The HECI will not, however, have jurisdiction over legal and medical colleges.

The HECI will have four independent verticals – National Higher Education Regulatory Council for regulation, General Education Council to set standards, Higher Education Grants Council for funding and National Accreditation Council for accreditation.

Outcomes of the National Education Policy will be universalisation of education from primary to secondary by 2030, attaining foundational learning and numeracy skills by 2025, 100 per cent gross enrolment ratio by 2030, and two crore school children joining back. It will also include preparation of teachers for assessment reforms by 2023, an inclusive education system by 2030, board exams only to test core concepts, and instilling at least one vocational skill in every child. (With IANS inputs)