Education is essential and fundamental for attaining personal growth, developing a fair-minded society, promoting the social well-being of an individual and the global development of the country, and more.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, aims to provide high-quality education to all. To this end, changes were made to India’s traditional education policy. Let’s discuss the New Education Policy in detail.
Revamping India’s Education Landscape: The Impact of NEP 2020
Incredible changes were made to India’s old education system so that India emerged as a global superpower. The changes were made to the ancient education policy to put a full stop to the old learning system, which came into effect in 1986, and introduce a new education system.
NEP, or the National Education Policy 2020, was announced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) under the supervision and visionary guidance of our honourable Prime Minister. The Union Cabinet of India released the New Education Policy on July 29, 2020, replacing the previous 34-year-old National Education Policy of India.
The policy aims to deliver a high-quality school education and improve and reform the country’s education system. Let’s explore the vision of the NEP 2020 to prepare students for their futures.
Preparing Students for the Future: Emphasising Modern Skills in Education
The National Education Policy 2020 aims to make India a universal leader in education by improving equity, access, and quality of learning at all levels, from early childhood education to a high-level education system. Its mission is to equip every student with skills that are highly required and essential in the 21st century, including creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
This leads to an emphasis on modern skills and reflects the policy’s commitment to preparing students for upcoming challenges and a plethora of emerging opportunities. Let’s examine the four stages of the National Education Policy 2020.
Unveiling the Transformative 5+3+3+4 Education Plan
The NEP 2020 proposed a completely new and well-designed educational structure by replacing the older education system or the 10+2 learning format. The new education format is 5+3+3+4, a modern and developed structure with a unique pedagogical structure.
Under this structure, the preceding five years of education will focus on foundational learning, followed by three continuous years of preparatory schooling, three years of middle-stage learning, and the leftover four years of secondary education. Here are the four stages of the New Education Policy 2021:
- The 5 Years Foundation Stage – From 3 to 8 years of age, education will be play-based or activity-based and focus on the growth of language skills.
- The 3 Years Preparatory Stage – From 8 to 11 years, education and learning will focus on language development and numerical abilities. In addition, outdoor activities and indoor-based learning and teaching will be used in this stage.
- The 3 Years Middle Stage – Aged from 11 to 14 years, the education will focus on experimental learning in Mathematics, Arts, Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
- The 4 Years Secondary Stage—From 14 to 18 years of age, education will be based on a multidisciplinary system that allows students to decide on various subject combinations firmly classified into the Arts, Science, and Commerce categories.
The secondary stage is four years long and aims to offer students the necessary skills and in-depth understanding. Students will definitely require these essential skills honed by them in the future to pursue higher education or to set foot in the workforce.
Wrapping It UpThe New Education Policy 2020 has significantly impacted the entire education system in India, and the changed system has created an immense buzz among schools and education centres. The policy is a thorough framework for primary education to higher education in urban and rural areas across the country. The NEP 2020 also has the vision to refurbish India’s current education system or model by 2030. The 5+3+3+4 education plan is a significant change from the previous education structure of India that will expose students to a well-managed and fun learning experience at school.
