DECODING THE NEW NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY (NEP) 2020

This year on 29 July, the Union Cabinet approved a fresh National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The new policy proposes novel changes which seem to augur well for the overall education system. This shows that we are working toward the U.N Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-4: quality education. This policy is a refresh to the outdated policy from the 1990s. 

The NEP 2020 proposes a lot of changes to the education system right now and therefore it is essential for us to understand the full extent of the policy and comprehend as to how this will be implemented. 

What is the NEP 2020?

You have probably heard about it by now but my aim is to make it easier for you to comprehend. Think of it as a guide which plans out your road toward development.  

This new policy will help shape education as we know it. Due to current hardships and times, its implications are yet to be seen. It’s clear that people enjoy thinking and dreaming about how the policy will impact the education systems as we do nowadays. It will change the way digital India is or at least the people who make up digital India. 

The new education policy which I will refer to as ‘NEP’, makes one thing bold and clear. It aims to push technology and integrate it into every day classroom learning.

Here the lowdown on how this will impact learning in India as a whole. NEP 2020 talks about the concept of  virtual labs, which isn’t really new. Prior to the lockdown, we used to use several virtual labs. 

Why is special about virtual labs?

Firstly, the addition of these labs will be cheaper. The price of getting a device is lesser than installing and buying lab equipment and materials. For example, there are certain experiments which would be far from practical to perform and get good quality results. Virtual labs will lead to it being easier to access science and perform experiments therefore letting more individuals exploring science. 

The addition of Coding. 

Coding is vital for the future.The basic understanding of coding will help to develop logic and reasoning skills. After getting some knowledge about coding, people can help themselves in real life quickly. Coding helps in small things which we face in our everyday lives. For example, it can be used to analyse data and carry out complex decision making skills. This will help coding get to more people and crackdown on the business of large companies who claim to make your kid a millionaire by the age of 13. The addition of coding will also help kids do a basic google search in order to explore and learn in a real life situation, thru trial and error, new techniques and ways to learn. 

Learning of the Mother tongue made compulsory. 

While it’s a proven fact that the mother tongue of a kid helps them have better literacy skills, communication skills, and critical thinking, in a diverse country like India with multiple languages, this could prove to be a humongous task. There is a likelihood that a few states may choose to have their own official language taught hence shooting down the claim that it will benefit everyone. In fact, if they take into account all beliefs and cultures - it will be much better. As the make in India (Atma Nirbhar Bharat) initiative is so popular, we can use the resources that we have to make an app like Duolingo which will help students learn in their native languages benefiting their skills, putting less pressure on school administrations and making it easier for parents and students alike. This is far from a viable solution, but as COVID-19, boosts India’s digitalisation, this may be the future. I believe that this is a controversial topic and an appropriate survey must be done to know what the parents think about this policy. 

Why learning in the mother tongue of an individual is important:

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The step in the right direction

Even if this policy is not implicated, it shows that India is willing to and has the capability to inflict large-scale change in the way we think. This policy has big ambitions and I know a lot of people are excited for it to be implicated, but the fact remains that today — in many schools in India, 2 classes are taught together, and education due to the pandemic is at an all time low. The truth remains that if we continue to detain people who show proof of failure in our education system, we will never progress. The reality is that if we don’t go and see the changes ourselves, change will never happen. The policy is a big dream, and us the people have to make sure that this dream is fulfilled. 

Master Neil Sudhalkar (An Aspiring Teen Journalist & Writer) Opinion

It’s a known fact that teachers in many schools in India are underpaid and facilities for students are scarce. Technology will help combat this — as COVID-19 proves that online education  is possible, a mobile phone can now do quality teaching that a teacher used to do with artificial intelligence (AI)  in order to boost learning. This will also help the digitalisation of India and will make us future proof for many challenges to come. 

To conclude, NEP 2020 will allow students to develop their skills and abilities and will effectively allow my generation to meet tomorrow’s and today’s standards. This policy -  if actually effectively implemented, will help millions of people decide their own future in a positive way. 

Thank you for reading! 

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