‘The objective of education is all-round growth of students’ personality’

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2000 completes one year and in this one year we all tried to understand its vision and implications. The NEP 2020 and its implications have been debated and deliberated and finally collated at different forums.

The overriding objective of education is the all-round development of a student’s personality. Though the term ‘holistic development’ has lost its comprehensive significance because of it’s out of the context overuse. But it truly means developing all faculties of a child that nature has bestowed on him. The prime purpose of education is to develop him physically, mentally, morally, emotionally, and spiritually so that he blooms in his all aspects.

This great goal can be achieved by adopting ‘across the curriculum approach’ and breaking the barriers of the streams and the subjects. If science develops ‘a spirit of enquiry’, mathematics develops ‘analytical skills and literature fosters the emotional side, it is the integration of all that will cultivate all all-round personality.

To make subjects engaging, the students must be involved in learning process. The teachers must offer more opportunities for the learners to experiment and explore, discuss, and discover in the class. Learning can never be enduring if it is not engaging, engaging if it is not interesting, interesting if a child fails to discover its utilization in life. The NEP 2020 has catered to these greater objectives of education.

The NEP 2020 proposes for a “5+3+3+4” design corresponding to the age groups 3-8 years (foundational stage), 8-11 (preparatory), 11-14 (middle), and 14-18 (secondary). This vision pulls in the early childhood education within the circumference of formal schooling. The plan to teach the students unto Class 5 in their mother tongue or regional language will go a long way in removing the linguistic barriers which hinder the acquisition of knowledge.

One of the distinctive features of the NEP 2020 is to open the higher education to the foreign counterparts which would not only globalize the Indian education system but will also infuse excellence.

To keep pace with fast-pacing world, the Indian education needs to be revamped to meet the needs and expectations of the progressive world.

Despite a revolutionary vision of the NEP 2020, the positive changes cannot be wrought until it is implemented effectively and uniformly.

Unfortunately, the recommendations of NEP 1986 could not be implemented by now. Even to this day, many a public school in the remote parts of the country do not have the required infrastructure such as science and computer labs whereas the private schools have introduced coding in the primary schools. If steps to improve the condition will not be taken, it would widen the digital divide in the country.

Though the budget allocation has been increased but ensuring the Right to Education for all is a big challenge. We already have a dearth of qualified teaching and other staff in most of the public schools. Training the teachers is a mammoth task and the government bodies need to strategize before the new vision can be implemented properly.

The NEP 2020 is a paradigm shift in the education policy of India. It has liberated the education system from the stereotype structures and has democratized the entire education system. It is a new dawn on the horizon, ready to usher in the new era of education if the NEP 2020 is implemented in its true sense.

Trilok Singh Bist, Principal, Delhi Public School Ghaziabad, Vasundhara. The views expressed are personal.