The new National Education Policy (NEP) comes with a mixed bag of proposals. While there are many positive proposals which are designed to improve the education sector in India, the policy falls short on many aspects which are key to India’s education sector especially at a time when the need for e-education and technology is being emphasised
One of the most important areas where the policy falls short is in the funding of education. The policy makes it a highly regulated but poorly funded sector. It talks about allocating 6 per cent of the GDP for education. This is too small when compared to most developed countries who spend as much as 20 per cent of their GDP on education. Also, at a time when a lot of funding is required to build up digital infrastructure and technology infrastructure in schools, this allocation looks too small and inadequate.
Presently, there is a pronounced move towards digitisation and e-learning which necessitates expenditure in technology and digital infrastructure. The government’s intent on increasing digital intensity in education needs to be backed by adequate fund allocation. At 6 per cent of GDP and looking at the number of government schools to cater to, the amount is far from what is required.
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There is also a problem of availability of quality education especially at the higher education level. There is an under-supply of quality education at this level. Today 26 per cent of Indians go for higher education. The target is to double it by 2035 but the roadmap or supply has not been defined making it uncertain as to how this will be achieved.
A big miss in the new policy is about implementation of the proposals. The policy, despite announcing many proposals which are forward looking, fails to provide an implementation plan for these. There is no roadmap for implementation of its proposals. Without that the policy will not fulfil its purpose. Implementation by PPP has also not been included.
The policy lays a lot of emphasis on higher education which is the right thing. However, it fails to highlight or emphasise primary and secondary education which is an important element and a foundation of children’s education. Perhaps the policymakers failed to look at this important aspect of Indian education.
At a time when technology is increasingly becoming crucial for education, the policy recognises its importance. Yet there is no mention about the use of technology in schools beyond mention of three things: Gamification apps, online teacher training and smart class. Leveraging technology specifically for online teacher training is good. But the policy is not talking about technology in the schooling section. There should have been more thought on technology in classrooms which has become so relevant in today’s time and will become increasingly important and part of education going forward.
For the first time, the new policy brings in vocational studies into mainstream education. However, it fails to define a roadmap for vocational studies beyond school and in higher education. Its road ahead is not defined. About 280 million job hopefuls are expected to enter the job market by 2050 and they would need to learn new-age skills. In this scenario, a clear roadmap for vocational studies beyond schools was required.
The policy also talks about creation of physical infrastructure for education. But is that required at the moment? Augmenting infrastructure needs a rethink. There is enough infrastructure available that is redundant and can be repurposed for education purposes instead of adding more. Investment in the digital infrastructure is the need of the hour.
The new policy lays emphasis on the private sector’s role in furthering education in the country. But there is a lack of attention on government schools which is required at the moment, especially in context of technology and e-learning. While private schools have invested in digital infrastructure and technology, very few government schools come even close to that level. The policy does not provide any solutions for government schools. Schools will also need to embrace Ed-Tech widely to avoid dissonance with higher education curriculum in the future.
Growing demand for online education is fuelling sales of Ed-Tech products. However, the disparity in e-content is a point of concern. Guidelines need to be provided for all Ed-Tech players for universalization and standardisation of content.
The proposal for inter-disciplinary approach has been borrowed from developed countries but in India it cannot be applied to all institutions especially the specialised institutions for engineering, medical and management.
The new policy talks about three language education which is a good move. Yet again, there is no clarity over its implementation. Taking it to all states may pose huge implementation issues and some states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala may have problems with it and may oppose this. The interplay between the centre and states will be difficult. Additionally, the availability of e-content in regional languages needs to be made mandatory to ensure inclusivity.
(The author of the article Mr. Rustom Kerawalla is the Chairman of Ampersand Group)
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