The National Education Policy of India, abbreviated as NEP, was framed in 1986, and it was modified in 1992. So, it has been in existence for at least three decades, and during this long period, the country and the world's society and economy have changed massively. So, India's education sector needed to update itself according to the 21st-century requirements. The new policy, released on 23^rd September 2020, will focus on innovation, research, and quality to fulfil India's dream of becoming a knowledge powerhouse.

The school curriculum's new structure:

1. Foundational Stage: Pre-school for three years followed by grades 1 and 2 
2. Preparatory Stage: In this stage, there are three classes 3, 4, and 5
3. Middle Stage: The Middle Stage consists of class 6 to class 8
4. Secondary Stage: The final Stage of school learning will focus on level 9 to level 12

Main points of 2020's National Educational Policy

Let us have a look at the latest education policy:

• The 10+2 board structure that schools have been following for years will not be there anymore. Instead, the new division will be 5+3+3+4.
• Up to grade 5 will fall under preschool. Grades 6 to 8 have been renamed as Mid-school. The high school comprises of classes 9, 10, 11, and 12.
• Students can opt for vocational classes from the 6th Standard.

NEP's key aspects in matters of school education:

1. Achieving excellent numeracy and literacy- The Drafting Committee has realized that a large proportion of elementary school students lack foundational numeracy and literacy. Carrying out basic addition, substruction, reading, and understanding simple texts are getting difficult for them. The target will be to help every child attain it by grade three.
2. Restructuring the old curriculum- Restructuring the existing curriculum will cater to students' diverse needs at various stages of development.
3. Early Childhood Care and Education- ECCE means play-based learning activities consist of language, alphabets, painting, music, and puzzles.
4. Reforming curriculum content- Curriculum load will decrease, and emphasis will be on core content to encourage critical thinking, analysis, and discussion.
5. Instruction medium- Till grade V the instruction medium should be the child's mother tongue or the local language. Instead of imposing one language on students, all states will adopt a study of three languages.
6. Governance of institutions- Schools will be grouped to become a school complex. This will ensure effective management, excellent administration, and sufficient teachers.
7. School regulation- The Department of School Education will no longer regulate schools. A separate State School Standards Authority will be there for each state.
8. Students' assessment- The Drafting Committee has noticed that the current examination pattern has popularized coaching culture and it is harming student learning. So, board exams will test core concepts, and students' progress will be tested in three, five, and eight.
9. Teachers' training- A four-year integrated course focusing on practical training and high-quality content will replace the current B.Ed course. Teachers will also have to complete 50 hours of professional development training per year.

Cabinet has given its approval to the New Education Policy of 2020: 

After a long period of 34 years, the Education Policy of India has undergone a significant change. These are the most remarkable things about the latest Education Policy: 

·        Fundamentals (5 years)- 

1. Nursery (age- 4 years)

2. Junior KG (age- 5 years)

3. Senior KG (age- 6 years)

4. 1st Standard (age- 7 years) 

5. 2nd Standard (age- 8 years) 

·        Preparatory (3 years)-

1. Class 3 (age- 9 years)

2. Class 4 (age- 10 years)

3. Class 5 (age- 11 years)

·        Middle School (3 years)-

1. Standard 6th (age- 12 years)

2. Standard 7th (age- 13 years)

3. Standard 8th (age- 14 years)

·        Secondary School (4 years)- 

1. Standard 9th (age- 15 years)

2. Standard SSC (age- 16 years)

3. Standard FYJC (age- 17 years)

4. Standard SYJC (age- 18 years)

Important points: 

1. As per the new, revised education policy, all students will appear for Board Examinations for the first time in Grade 12. So, there will be no board exams in grade 10. College Degree will be of 4 years, and the MPhil course will be closed. In reputed institutions such as JNU, 45 or 50 years old students reside for several years inside the university campus to pursue their MPhil degree. All these hackneyed leftist ideologies need to come to an end. 

2. Students will be taught in their mother tongue, national language and local language will only be up to grade 5. The remaining subjects, whether it is English or any other subject, will be considered as a subject and taught accordingly.

3. Board exams for school students will take place only once, in grade 12. Earlier, it was essential to pass the board exam to get promoted to class 11. This was applicable for ICSE, CBSE and other boards as well.

4. From class 9 to class 12, exams will be conducted as semesters.

5. Schooling will take place under the above-mentioned formula: 5 + 3 + 3 + 4.

6. College degree will be for 4 and 3 years. Students will receive a certificate in the first year during their graduation. Diploma and degree will be given on the second and third years, respectively. This three-year degree course is for those candidates who do not wish to pursue higher education. On the other hand, candidates pursuing higher education will have to complete a degree course of four years. For such students, the Master's Course will be for one year only. 

7. MA students can directly apply for PhD. They will not have to consider MPhil as an option. 

8. Students will have the freedom to do multiple other courses simultaneously. Gross enrolment ratio in higher education is likely to be 50 per cent by the end of the year 2035. At the same time, the revised education policy clearly states that, if a student is willing to do another course while studying on one course, he can take a break from the main course for a certain period and devote his attention to the other course. 

As far as higher education is concerned, we can look forward to many innovative reforms. Some of the significant improvements are seen in financial, administrative and academic autonomy sector. E-course will also begin in regional languages for the convenience of students. Other than the modifications mentioned above, development of virtual labs will take place along with the establishment of a National Educational Scientific Forum, abbreviated as NETF. The number of colleges in India is forty-five thousand. Rules will be uniform for all private, government, and deemed academic institutions in the country. 

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