‘NEP aims to overhaul existing education regime, making it more learner-centric’

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions an education system rooted in Indian ethos that contributes directly to transforming India sustainably into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, by providing high-quality education to all and thereby making India a global knowledge superpower. The NEP aims at overhauling the India’s existing education regime, making it more learner-centric. Schools should focus on inquiry-based learning, interactive classrooms, and multidisciplinary study and flexible assessments. There are two main things that schools need to do to effectively to implement NEP 2020, changing the pedagogical structure and transforming the teaching-learning process. The 10+2 board examination structure has been dropped and the new school structure (5+3+3+4) will be revolutionary. Importance should be given to arts, science, physical education and other extra-curricular activities so that learners can pick whatever piques their interests; multi-disciplinary approach should be added in the curriculum. Emphasis should be given on conceptual learning, creativity and critical thinking; cultivating life skills like cooperation, teamwork, empathy, resilience; and regular formative assessments for learning rather than the existing summative assessment. In order to implement NEP 2020, two major areas the schools should focus are - teacher training and use of technology. These both actions would play a quintessential role for the smooth execution of NEP 2020. The following points would aid the thorough implementation of NEP 2020: •More emphasis should be given on reading, writing, and learning of basic mathematical concepts at an early age. •Various studies prove that young children best understand things in their mother tongue or home language. So, teachers should be encouraged to teach in mother tongue and be bilingual to achieve the best outcomes. •Educators must look at integrating subjects, streams and technology to create a holistic learning experience for students along with the component of digital literacy, scientific temper and computational thinking. •Art-integrated education must be developed and nurtured as it will strengthen the linkages between education and culture. •Classroom teaching and curriculum planning should move away from rote learning or memorising to score marks during exams to actual conceptual understanding. A multi-dimensional report card to be generated that will reflect the progress and uniqueness of each learner in the cognitive, affective and psycho-motor domains. •Assessment in the schools should be competency-based and tests higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity. Schools should design a 360-degree assessment model that covers educational, physical and mental well-being of the students. •As mentioned in the NEP, one bag less day can be planned for the hands-on learning of the vocational subjects. •Curriculum should include a multidisciplinary and holistic educational approach between arts and sciences; curricular and extra-curricular activities; vocational and academic streams etc. •The schools should add activities related to experiential learning through vocational skills, creative and critical thinking skills, mathematical thinking and 21st-century skills like data science and coding. •Schools need to have trained special educators. Such teachers would require not only subject-teaching knowledge and understanding of subject-related aims of education, but also the relevant skills for understanding of special requirements of children. Special attention shall be required for the safety and the various difficult issues faced by adolescents. It is a great pride for all of us as shared by our education minister Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank that this NEP 2020 is a first of its kind and many other countries have reached out to the Indian government and have showed willingness to implement NEP 2020 in their countries. The NEP 2020 aims to bring a clear emphasis on recognizing, identifying and fostering the unique capabilities of each student by sensitizing teachers as well as parents to promote each student’s holistic development in both academic and non-academic spheres. The new policy will take the learning outside the four walls of a classroom and encourage students to imbibe from the real world. The larger goal is to make Indian learners truly global citizens who are future-ready. (Author Rajiv Duggal is a Principal of Bosco Public School, Paschim Vihar. Views expressed here are personal.)

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