New Education Policy: A New Look To An Old Book

A dramatic reaction followed the introduction of the New Education Policy, commonly abbreviated as NEP. From high school students to university professors, everyone was bamboozled by the new trajectory applied to the education system by the Indian Government. 

NEP was introduced on July 29, 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Its prime motive was to alter the current outdated education system and structure. Before NEP, various educational reforms were passed. But, this policy was one of the major changes implemented throughout the country. 

Various campaigns led to the awareness of NEP among students and teachers of different fields. Many online contests and quizzes were organized to keep everyone updated about the policy. And students took great enthusiasm and participated with joy. Although it promised and showed the cool picture of versatility, there were and are many occurrences where it has been not welcomed.  What are those and why? Continue reading to find out. 

Changes made to the system under NEP

As the introduction of NEP was to balance the fundamental aim of education, conspicuous changes were made to the current system. From stabilizing the curriculum to equally prioritizing the extracurricular activities. 

• Holistic Development 

One of the primary aims of NEP was to balance academic and non-academic activities. An adequate amount of time has to be allotted for physical activities like sports and cultural events. Also, more focus on the physical, cognitive as well as social development of the students has been taken into consideration. 

• Multidisciplinary Academics

The fact of allowing students to freely acquire different classes of courses from multiple streams was seen as a boon. It is one of the major inclusivity factors in the Indian education system. This allows students to easily choose from a wide range of subjects allowing interdisciplinary studies. Thereby opening doors to multiple career opportunities.

• Integration of Technology

Technology has been improving day by day, but without its use on a major level, its efficacy cannot be determined. Using the aid of technology to enhance the learning environment and improve the quality is a bonus for everyone including the professors. It can make teaching a lot easier with the use of digital media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was proven as the best way to tackle the problem faced. 

• Making Them Future Ready

Apart from theory texts and knowledge, there are various other soft skills needed to be eligible to take up any career. Such as communication, leadership, and time management. In addition to this, some things would give us an upper hand if we knew. For this reason, creating and teaching short-duration course materials is crucial. Such that we do not have to pursue an entire degree for a particular knowledge. 

These were the main aims of the New Education Policy. However, due to certain clauses, there have been disagreements and debates faced by educational institutions and students. This raises a concern about its implementation. 

Debates Sparking On New Reform’s Integrity

The New Education Policy has had a major impact on the current education system. A drastic change in the education level has made it more complicated to implement it smoothly. Apart from these reasons, there are certain more problems that are faced by the institutions. 

• Autonomy No More

Under NEP, it is advised to have a centralized regulatory body for academic institutions which is the Higher Education Commission of India (HEIC). However, certain autonomous institutions do not agree as it limits the freedom and innovation available to the students as well as the institution. 

• No Inclusion of Technology 

As illustrated throughout the campaign and awareness talks, there has been no sign that NEP follows the same as promised. During COVID-19, we have been relying on digital modes of education. However, after the normalization of regular courses, learning patterns also change to the same old traditional methods. In the days, when one could perform any task with ease using the technology, it is prohibited to use. 

• Implementation problems

NEP aims to benefit the students and teachers to create a better teaching-learning environment. But, its implementation lacks a clear idea. Teachers are not adequately trained, there has been a delay in its implementation, as well as, the curriculum patterns do not seem to have changed much. 

Will it benefit students or is it a failure?

Since the NEP is under implementation, there have been various debates and issues faced. Even though the idea is unique and beneficial, there is a lot to work on to make it advantageous to all. Changing the system from 10+2 to 5+3+3+4 is going to take a long period to set and adjust accordingly. 

As for multidisciplinary inclusiveness, it is going to help students a lot in terms of their career and future development. Also, it's going to help them to better manage their time and social skills. Also having a common platform where the storage of students’ achievements and credits obtained data is better as receiving the academic background of a student is easy. 

Till now New Education Policy has not been implemented in full power and also there are amendments to be made to fit it perfectly in the current system to transition it smoothly. Once it's done it could make a visible difference. However, there is always scope for improvement.