Most experts opine that the bold move is a step in the right direction and will help to achieve the mission of Literate India. The new policy aims for universalisation of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030 and aims to raise GER in higher education to 50 per cent by 2025. “GER of 50 per cent is an important target and all universities must contribute to it. The initiatives announced under NEP 2020 should help achieve this target. The multiple entry and exit options at the Undergraduate level will give more options to the youth. This, supported by an Academic Bank of Credit to digitally store academic credits, will go a long way in providing a favorable environment to students to plan their education,” said Malabika Sarkar, Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University.
The NEP also has made a bold move to resolve the binary of research and teaching and the focus on research will foster a strong culture for innovation. "The move along with the enhancement of digital infrastructure will match our education system with the requirements of today’s dynamic business and economic environment," Sarkar added.
Meanwhile, other educationists believe that the NEP 2020 which offers flexibility and multiple exit-options will help remove unique barriers that Indian students have faced in the past.
"Reforms such as having a self-declaration system, bringing in a 4-year-undergraduate program, replacing a cumbersome inspection system and adding an additional 1-year after 12+3 to help students be eligible for many top-ranked global programs will do away with barriers that Indian students have faced in the past,” emphasised Vineet Gupta, Founder & Trustee, Plaksha University and MD, Jamboree Education.
Gupta, who has closely watched the education system evolving over the years said, the blurring lines between liberal arts and sciences is beneficial as the modern workplace demands some new-age skills that go beyond the silos created by a technical only education-or a liberal arts-only approach.
“I must say that one big differentiator in Indian against international education has been academic flexibility,“ added Gupta.
While others in the education field believe the new policy strengthening digital education is timely and much needed. “Emphasis on critical thinking, creativity and stronger conceptual understanding will encourage students to become self-motivated learners. This is much needed for students to acquire skills that will prepare them for the unseen jobs of tomorrow, said Byju Raveendran, Founder & CEO, BYJU'S.
India is home to the world’s largest K-12 population and the universalization of early school education, the push to improve gross enrollment ratio and a renewed focus on new life skills such as coding will help create a stronger pipeline of future leaders in India, added Raveendran.
The policy also aims to prepare teachers for assessment reforms by 2023. On this Rishabh Khanna, Founder, Suraasa, upskilling platform for teachers, said, “The difficult part is to jump from the current system to this system and take along millions of stakeholders, many of whom might need to be completely re-trained. In fact, teachers will see the biggest change and will have to transform at both content as well as pedagogy level to survive in this new world order".
WATCH | New Education Policy 2020: Big changes for students | Anchors Choice
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