The National Education Policy 2020 reforms Indian education with focus on equity, quality, and innovation. It empowers marginalized communities, promotes women’s education, integrates technology and Indian knowledge systems, enhances global rankings, ensures social justice, and improves learning outcomes through modernized infrastructure, foundational learning, and increased access across all sections.
Copyright infringement not intended
National Education Policy of 2020 marks a major shift in Indian education.
It aims to transform the education system based on the five pillars of access, equity, quality, affordability, and accountability.
It aim to:
Addressing Historical Challenges
Policymakers failed to update the education framework after 1986, with only minor amendments in 1992.
Corruption dominated public universities, which also faced shortage of funds and Political interference in leadership appointments.
Private institutions mushroomed into degree mills.
Textbooks downplayed revolutionary heroes and civilizational ethos.
The NEP 2020 corrects these flaws by prioritizing equity, quality, and accountability.
Empowering Marginalized Communities
Since 2014-15, enrolment among Scheduled Castes (SC) increased by 50%, Scheduled Tribes (ST) by 75%, and Other Backward Classes (OBC) by 54%.
Female enrolment across all categories grows by 38.8%, crossing 2.18 crore in 2022-23.
Among Muslim minority students, female enrolment surges by 57.5%.
Women now constitute 43% of STEM fields and 44.23% of the teaching workforce, up from 38.6% in 2014.
Promote Women’s Empowerment
Policymakers increase funding for education, with per-child government expenditure increasing by 130% from ₹10,780 in 2013-14 to ₹25,043 in 2021-22.
They prioritize early childhood education and foundational learning, upgrading government schools with modern infrastructure.
PhD enrolment among women increased by 135%.
Prepare Students for the modern world
The NEP 2020 introduces futuristic elements like coding from middle school, multidisciplinary problem-solving, and innovation hubs in rural areas.
Over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) nurture grassroots-level innovation, and the government plans to add 50,000 more ATLs with broadband connectivity in the next five years.
Policymakers reimagine education to align with technological advancements, ensuring that students develop skills relevant to the 21st century.
Improve India’s place in Global education rankings
The NEP 2020 drives Indian universities into global prominence. India now has 11 universities in the QS World Rankings top 500.
Research publications have increased by 88% since 2015, promoting India to 39th in the Global Innovation Index, up from 76th in 2014.
The Anusandhan-National Research Foundation promotes collaboration between industry and academia, nurturing research.
Priority to Indian languages and knowledge traditions
Through the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) initiative, over 8,000 higher education institutions adopt IKS curricula.
The Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Yojana published 15,000 original and translated textbooks in 22 Indian languages, which authorised millions of students to express themselves in their mother tongues.
Ensure Social Justice
The government enacted the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019, to reserve teaching positions for SCs, STs, and OBCs.
The government ended the practice of declaring “None Found Suitable” in university recruitments, transforming these posts into non-reserved positions to make reservations meaningful.
Improve learning outcomes
The NEP 2020 reduced dropout rates by upgrading government schools with modern infrastructure and holistic teaching.
Policymakers prioritize early childhood education and foundational learning, to improve cognitive growth and future learning.
The pupil-teacher ratio improved, and learning outcomes increased. Concerted efforts decrease the number of out-of-school children.
Must Read Articles:
NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY (NEP) 2020
Source:
|
PRACTICE QUESTION Q. "Vocational education is the key to bridging the skill gap in India." 150 words |
© 2025 iasgyan. All right reserved
