Context:

• Government is rolling out many initiatives envisaged in the national education policy.

Initiatives to be rolled out:

Credit Transfer System:

• credit transfer system that will allow multiple entry and exit options in higher education. The Academic Bank of Credit will be rolled out for students in over 290 top institutions from the current academic year 2021-22 onwards.
• All institutions in the top 100 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework as well as those who have achieved an A grade under the National Assessment and Accreditation Council will be allowed to participate in the credit transfer system.

Others

• Conducting engineering programmes in regional languages.
• Multidisciplinarity is also being encouraged with guidelines to be issued to allow the merger of institutes as well as to give students the choice of taking subjects such as social sciences, music and sports while getting engineering degrees.
• Government will also announce the establishment of the National Digital Education Architecture and National Education Technology Forum.
• For school education, the NEP recommendation for a foundational literacy and numeracy mission has been carried out, although it has pushed back its target date by two years to 2026-27.
• Government will roll out Vidya Pravesh, a three-month play-based school preparation module for Class 1 students.
• A competency-based assessment framework for Classes 3, 5 and 8 will also be announced for students of the Central Board of Secondary Education.

 

Challenges in other initiatives:

• The proposal for four-year undergraduate degrees has run into some opposition, especially from faculty at the premier University of Delhi. The university and colleges do not have adequate infrastructure to implement this programme.
• A large section of ad hoc teachers also feel that bringing back the programme will lessen the work of teachers and ultimately end the ad hocism and many ad hoc and guest teachers will lose their job. 
• The credit transfer system introduced under this policy will make the student lazy, degree-oriented and not knowledge oriented.
• premier institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology have balked at the idea of introducing courses in Indian languages.
• The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, however, is still entangled in objections from State governments as it proposes a new centralised education regulatory regime.
• NEP proposals that require additional funding such as a free breakfast for all government school students have been delayed by the budget crunch caused by the pandemic.
• The FYUP also has an additional provision of 30 per cent online classes, which has worried teachers. However, according to teachers, the shift was extremely difficult to implement due to technological gaps and lack of infrastructure. But, this was done due to corona induced pandemic.

National Education Policy 2020

Key Highlights:

Multidisciplinary Institution

• By 2040, all higher education institutions HEIs) shall aim to become multidisciplinary institutions, each of which will aim to have 3,000 or more students.
• Aims at setting up at least one large multidisciplinary institution in or near every district by the year 2030.
• A university will mean a multidisciplinary institution that offers undergraduate and graduate programmes, with high quality teaching, research, and community engagement.
• Under Graded Autonomy, Academic, Administrative & Financial Autonomy will be given to colleges, on the basis of the status of their accreditation.

Undergraduate degree courses

• The undergraduate degree courses will be of either 3 or 4- year duration, with multiple exit options.
• A certificate course after completing 1 year in a discipline or field, including vocational and professional areas, or a diploma after 2 years of study, or a Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year programme.
• An Academic Bank of Credit ABC) shall be established which would digitally store the academic credits earned.
• Aims at 50% gross enrolment ratio by 2035.
• There will be multiple entry and exit options for those who wish to leave the course in the middle.
• Their credits will be transferred through Academic Bank of Credits.
• The National Testing Agency NTA) will offer a high-quality common aptitude test, as well as specialized common subject exams in the sciences, humanities, languages, arts, and vocational subjects, at least twice every year for university entrance exams.

Interaction with Foreign Institutions

• Aims at promotion India as a global study destination providing premium education at affordable costs.
• An International Students Office at each institution hosting foreign students will be set up.
• The Ministry has been renamed as Education Ministry.
• Selected universities like those from among the top 100 universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India.
• High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries. 

Vocational Education

• The education ministry, would constitute a National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education NCIVE).
• Students will get 360 degree holistic report card, which will not only inform about the marks obtained by them in subjects, but also their skills and other important points.
• Every child to learn at least one vocation and exposed to several more.
• Sampling of important vocational crafts, such as carpentry, electric work, metal work, gardening, pottery making, etc., as decided by States and local communities during Grades 6-8.
• By 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education
• A 10-day bag less period sometime during Grades 6-8 to intern with local vocational experts such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, artists, etc.

National Research Foundation:

• A National Research Foundation NRF) will be established.
• The overarching goal of the NRF will be to enable a culture of research to permeate through universities.
• The NRF will be governed, independently of the government, by a rotating Board of Governors consisting of the very best researchers and innovators across

Vernacular Language:

• Proposes the setting up of an Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation IITI) while also laying significant emphasis on Sanskrit and other Indian languages.
• There will e- content in regional language apart from English and Hindi.

Online Education

• Quality technology-based options for adult learning such as apps, online courses/modules, satellite-based TV channels, online books, and ICT-equipped libraries and Adult Education Centres, etc. will be developed.
• A dedicated unit for the purpose of orchestrating the building of digital infrastructure, digital content and capacity building will be created in the MHRD to look after the e-education needs of both school and higher education. 

School Structure:

• The extant 10+2 structure in school education will be modified with a new pedagogical and curricular restructuring of 5+3+3+4 covering ages 3-18.
• In the new 5+3+3+4 structure, a strong base of Early Childhood Care and Education ECCE) from age 3 is also included.
• Students of class 6 and onwards will be taught coding in schools as a part of 21st century skills.

Exam Structure:

• In order to reduce the importance and stress of board exam, exam will be conducted in two parts: Objective and descriptive.
• Exam can be conducted twice a year. Board exam should promote knowledge application rather than rote learning.

Small Age Children:

• A National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 will be developed by NCERT.
• The planning and implementation of early childhood care and education curriculum ECCEC) will be carried out jointly by the Ministries of HRD, Women and Child Development WCD), Health and Family Welfare HFW), and Tribal Affairs.
• Prior to the age of 5 every child will move to a “Preparatory Class” or “Balavatika” that is, before Class 1), which has an ECCE-qualified teacher.
• Pre-school sections covering at least one year of early childhood care and education will be added to Kendriya Vidyalayas and other primary schools around the nation.

Gifted Children:

• The nutrition and health including mental health) of children will be addressed, through healthy meals and regular health check-ups.
• NIOS will develop high-quality modules to teach Indian Sign Language, and to teach other basic subjects using Indian Sign Language.