How Will the New Education Policy Changes Impact Students and Educators?

Breaking Just In

The cabinet has given a green signal to the New Education Policy. After 34 years, there has been a change in the education policy.

Notable Features of the New Education Policy

5 Years Fundamental

1. Nursery @ 4 Years
2. Jr KG @ 5 Years
3. Sr KG @ 6 Years
4. Std 1st @ 7 Years
5. Std 2nd @ 8 Years

3 Years Preparatory

6. Std 3rd @ 9 Years
7. Std 4th @ 10 Years
8. Std 5th @ 11 Years

3 Years Middle

9. Std 6th @ 12 Years
10. Std 7th @ 13 Years
11. Std 8th @ 14 Years

4 Years Secondary

12. Std 9th @ 15 Years
13. Std SSC @ 16 Years
14. Std FYJC @ 17 Years
15. STD SYJC @ 18 Years

Special and Important Things

- The board will be in the 12th class only, and MPhil will be closed. The college degree will be of 4 years.
- The 10th board is over, and MPhil will also be closed.
- Now, students up to the 5th standard will be taught in the mother tongue, local language, and national language only. The rest of the subjects, even if it is English, will be taught as a subject.
- Now, only the 12th board exam will have to be given. Whereas earlier, it was mandatory to give the 10th board exam, which will not happen now.
- Examinations will be held in the semester from the 9th to the 12th class. Schooling will be taught under the 5+3+3+4 formula.
- At the same time, the college degree will be of 3 and 4 years. That is, a certificate in the first year of graduation, a diploma in the second year, and a degree in the third year.
- The 3-year degree is for those students who do not want to pursue higher education. Whereas students pursuing higher education will have to do a 4-year degree. Students doing a 4-year degree will be able to earn an MA in one year.
- Now, students will not have to do MPhil. Rather, MA students will now be able to do PhD directly.
- There will be no board exam in the 10th.
- Students will be able to pursue other courses in between. The gross enrollment ratio in higher education will be 50 percent by 2035. At the same time, under the new education policy, if a student wants to pursue another course in the middle of a program, then they can do so by taking a break from the first course for a limited time.
- Many reforms have also been made in higher education. The reforms include graded academic, administrative, and financial autonomy, etc. Additionally, e-courses will be started in regional languages, virtual labs will be developed, and a National Educational Scientific Forum (NETF) will be initiated. There are 45 thousand colleges in the country.
- There will be the same rules for all institutions, government, private, and deemed.

[Source: https://nvshq.org/article/new-national-education-policy-nep-2020/]

Dear member,

Special and Important Things

The third point in "Special and Important" things says: "Now students up to 5th standard will be taught in the mother tongue, local language, and national language only. The rest of the subjects, even if it is English, will be taught as a subject."

However, in metros and other big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, etc., a large number of residents do not know the local language. Take the city of Bangalore, for example. There are a large number of persons from almost all the states of India. Where are the schools that have so many mediums? Furthermore, what if the mother tongue and father tongue are different? Why give primacy to the mother tongue only? Okay, such students may opt for the national language. But then, what if the parents do not wish their children to learn in a language other than English?

I feel that the New Education Policy (NEP), while getting rid of the complications in the existing education system, could bring new ones. The education policy should aim at fostering innovativeness or creativity among the children. Will NEP address this basic need?

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar