Press Information Bureau

Government of India
Submit for Fact Check

Cabinet

Cabinet Approves National Education Policy 2020,

paving way for transformational reforms in school
and higher education systems in the country

Posted On: 29 JUL 2020 5:20PM by PIB Delhi

New Policy aims for Universalization of Education from pre-school to secondary level with 100
% GER in school education by 2030
 

NEP 2020 will bring 2 crore out of school children back into the main stream
 

New 5+3+3+4 school curriculum with 12 years of schooling and 3 years of Anganwadi/ Pre-
schooling
 

Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no rigid separation between academic

streams, extracurricular, vocational streams in schools ; Vocational Education to start  from
Class 6 with Internships
 

Teaching upto at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/ regional language

 

Assessment reforms with 360 degree Holistic Progress Card, tracking Student Progress for
achieving Learning Outcomes
 

GER in higher education to be raised to 50 % by 2035 ;  3.5 crore seats to be added in higher
education
 
 Higher Education curriculum to have Flexibility of Subjects
 

 Multiple Entry / Exit to be allowed with appropriate certification

 

Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate  Transfer of Credits

 

National Research Foundation to be established to foster a strong research culture

 

Light but Tight Regulation of Higher Education, single regulator with four separate verticals for
different functions
 

Affiliation System to be phased out in 15 years with graded autonomy to colleges

 

NEP 2020 advocates increased use of technology with equity; National Educational Technology
Forum to be created
 

NEP 2020 emphasizes setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund, Special Education Zones for
disadvantaged regions and groups
 

New Policy promotes Multilingualism in both schools and HEs; National Institute for Pali,
Persian and Prakrit , Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up
 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the National
Education Policy 2020 today, making way for large scale, transformational reforms in both school
and higher education sectors. This is the first education policy of the 21st century and replaces
the thirty-four year old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986.  Built on the foundational pillars
of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability, this policy is  aligned to the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge
society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more
holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to 21st century needs and aimed at bringing out the
unique capabilities of each student.
 

Important Highlights

School Education

Ensuring Universal Access at all levels of school education

NEP 2020 emphasizes on ensuring universal access to school education at all levels- pre school
to secondary. Infrastructure support, innovative education centres to bring back dropouts into the
mainstream, tracking of students and their learning levels, facilitating multiple pathways to
learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes, association of counselors or
well-trained social workers with schools, open learning for classes3,5 and 8 through NIOS and
State Open Schools, secondary education programs equivalent to Grades 10 and 12, vocational
courses, adult literacy and life-enrichment programs are some of the proposed ways for achieving
this. About 2 crore out of school children will be brought back into main stream under NEP 2020.
 

Early Childhood Care & Education with  new Curricular and Pedagogical Structure

With emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education, the 10+2 structure of school curricula is to
be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18
years respectively.  This will bring the hitherto uncovered age group of 3-6 years under school
curriculum, which has been recognized globally as the crucial stage for development of mental
faculties of a child. The new system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of
Anganwadi/ pre schooling.

NCERT will develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care
and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 . ECCE will be delivered through a
significantly expanded and strengthened system of institutions including Anganwadis and pre-
schools that will have teachers and Anganwadi workers trained in the ECCE pedagogy and
curriculum. The planning and implementation of ECCE will be carried out jointly by the Ministries
of HRD, Women and Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare (HFW), and Tribal
Affairs.
 

Attaining Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

Recognizing Foundational Literacy and Numeracy as an urgent and necessary prerequisite to

learning, NEP 2020 calls for setting up of a  National Mission on Foundational Literacy and
Numeracy by MHRD. States will prepare an implementation plan for attaining universal
foundational literacy and numeracy in all primary schools for all learners by grade 3 by 2025.A
National Book Promotion Policy is to be formulated.
 

Reforms in school curricula and pedagogy

The school curricula and pedagogy will aim for holistic development of learners by equipping
them with the key 21st century skills, reduction in curricular content to enhance essential learning
and critical thinking and greater focus on experiential learning. Students will have increased
flexibility and choice of subjects. There will be no rigid separations between arts and sciences,
between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams.

Vocational education will start in schools from the 6th grade, and will include internships.

A new and comprehensive National Curricular Framework for School Education, NCFSE 2020-21,
will be developed by the NCERT.

Multilingualism and the power of language

The policy has emphasized mother tongue/local language/regional language as the medium of
instruction at least till Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond. Sanskrit to be offered at all
levels of school and higher education as an option for students, including in the three-language
formula. Other classical languages and literatures of India also to be available as options. No
language will be imposed on any student. Students to participate in a fun project/activity on ‘The
Languages of India’, sometime in Grades 6-8, such as, under the ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’
initiative. Several foreign languages will also be offered at the secondary level. Indian Sign
Language (ISL) will be standardized across the country, and National and State curriculum
materials developed, for use by students with hearing impairment.
 

Assessment Reforms

NEP 2020 envisages a shift from summative assessment to regular and formative assessment,
which is more competency-based, promotes learning and development, and tests higher-order
skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity. All students will take school
examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 which will be conducted by the appropriate authority. Board
exams for Grades 10 and 12 will be continued, but redesigned with holistic development as the
aim.  A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and
Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development),  will be set up as a standard-setting body .
 

Equitable and Inclusive Education

NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses any opportunity to learn and excel because of the
circumstances of birth or background. Special emphasis will be given on Socially and
Economically Disadvantaged Groups(SEDGs) which include gender, socio-cultural, and
geographical identities and disabilities.  This includes setting up of   Gender Inclusion Fund and
also Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups. Children with disabilities
will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the foundational stage to
higher education, with support of educators with cross disability training, resource centres,
accommodations, assistive devices, appropriate technology-based tools and other support
mechanisms tailored to suit their needs. Every state/district will be encouraged to establish “Bal
Bhavans” as a special daytime boarding school, to participate in art-related, career-related, and
play-related activities. Free school infrastructure can be used as Samajik Chetna Kendras
 

Robust Teacher Recruitment and Career Path

Teachers will be recruited through robust, transparent processes. Promotions will be merit-based,
with a mechanism for multi-source periodic performance appraisals and available progression
paths to become educational administrators or teacher educators. A common National
Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by the National Council for
Teacher Education by 2022, in consultation with NCERT, SCERTs, teachers and expert
organizations from across levels and regions.
 

School Governance
Schools can be organized into complexes or clusters which will be the basic unit of governance
and ensure availability of all resources including infrastructure, academic libraries and a strong
professional teacher community.
 

Standard-setting and Accreditation for School Education

NEP 2020 envisages clear, separate systems for policy making, regulation, operations and
academic matters. States/UTs will set up independent State School Standards Authority (SSSA).
Transparent public self-disclosure of all the basic regulatory information, as laid down by the
SSSA, will be used extensively for public oversight and accountability. The SCERT will develop a
School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAAF) through consultations with
all stakeholders.
 

Higher Education
 

Increase GER to 50 % by 2035

NEP 2020 aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational
education from 26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035. 3.5 Crore new seats will be added to Higher
education institutions.
 

Holistic Multidisciplinary Education

The policy envisages broad based, multi-disciplinary, holistic Under Graduate  education with
flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education and 
multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification. UG education can be of 3 or 4 years
with multiple exit options and appropriate certification within this period. For example,  Certificate
after 1 year, Advanced Diploma after 2 years, Bachelor’s Degree after 3 years and Bachelor’s with
Research after 4 years.

An Academic Bank of Credit is to be established for digitally storing academic credits earned
from different  HEIs so that these can be transferred and counted towards final degree earned.

Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs), at par with IITs, IIMs, to  be set
up as models  of best multidisciplinary education of global standards in the country.

The National Research Foundation will be created as an apex body for fostering a strong research
culture and building research capacity across higher education.
 

Regulation

Higher Education Commission of India(HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body
the for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. HECI to have  four
independent verticals  - National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation,
General Education Council (GEC ) for standard setting, Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC)
for funding,  and National Accreditation Council( NAC) for accreditation. HECI will  function
through faceless intervention through technology, & will have powers to penalise HEIs not
conforming to norms and standards. Public and private higher education institutions will be
governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards.

Rationalised Institutional Architecture

Higher education institutions will be transformed into large, well resourced, vibrant
multidisciplinary institutions  providing  high quality teaching, research, and community
engagement. The definition of university will allow a spectrum of institutions that range from
Research-intensive Universities to Teaching-intensive Universities and Autonomous degree-
granting Colleges. 

Affiliation of colleges is to be phased out in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism is to be

established for granting graded autonomy to colleges. Over a period of time, it is envisaged that
every college would develop into either an Autonomous degree-granting College, or a constituent
college of a university.
Motivated, Energized, and Capable Faculty

NEP makes recommendations for motivating, energizing, and building capacity of  faculty
thorugh  clearly defined, independent, transparent recruitment , freedom to design
curricula/pedagogy, incentivising excellence, movement into institutional leadership. Faculty not
delivering on basic norms will be held accountable
 

Teacher Education

A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021,
will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT. By 2030, the minimum degree
qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. degree .Stringent action will be taken
against substandard stand-alone Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs).
 

Mentoring Mission
A National Mission for Mentoring will be established, with a large pool of outstanding
senior/retired faculty – including those with the ability to teach in Indian languages – who would
be willing to provide short and long-term mentoring/professional support to university/college
teachers.
 

Financial support for students

Efforts will be made to incentivize the merit of students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and other
SEDGs. The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to support, foster, and track the
progress of students receiving scholarships. Private HEIs will be encouraged to offer larger
numbers of free ships and scholarships to their students.
 

Open and Distance Learning

This will be expanded to play a significant role in increasing GER. Measures such as online
courses and digital repositories, funding for research, improved student services, credit-based
recognition of MOOCs, etc., will be taken to ensure it is at par with the highest quality in-class
programmes.
 

Online Education and Digital Education:

A comprehensive set of recommendations for promoting online education consequent to the

recent rise in epidemics and pandemics in order to ensure preparedness with alternative modes of
quality education whenever and wherever traditional and in-person modes of education are not
possible, has been covered. 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.
 

Technology in education
  An autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), will be created to
provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning,
assessment, planning, administration. Appropriate integration of technology into all levels of
education will be done to improve classroom processes, support teacher professional
development, enhance educational access for disadvantaged groups and streamline educational
planning, administration and management
 

Promotion of Indian languages

To ensure the preservation, growth, and vibrancy of all Indian languages, NEP recommends
setting an Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI), National Institute (or
Institutes) for Pali, Persian and Prakrit, strengthening of Sanskrit and all language departments
in HEIs,  and use mother tongue/local language as a medium of instruction in more HEI 
programmes .
Internationalization of education will be facilitated through both institutional collaborations, and
student and faculty mobility and allowing entry of top world ranked Universities to open
campuses in our country.
 

Professional Education
All professional education will be an integral part of the higher education system. Stand-alone
technical universities, health science universities, legal and agricultural universities etc will aim to
become multi-disciplinary institutions.
 

Adult Education

Policy  aims to achieve 100% youth and adult literacy.

 

Financing Education
The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector
to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
Unprecedented Consultations

NEP 2020 has been formulated after an unprecedented process of consultation that involved
nearly over 2 lakh suggestions from 2.5 lakhs Gram Panchayats, 6600 Blocks, 6000 ULBs, 676
Districts. The MHRD initiated an unprecedented collaborative, inclusive, and highly participatory
consultation process from January 2015. In May 2016, ‘Committee for Evolution of the New
Education Policy’ under the Chairmanship of Late Shri T.S.R. Subramanian, Former Cabinet
Secretary, submitted its report.    Based on this, the Ministry prepared ‘Some Inputs for the Draft
National Education Policy, 2016’.  In June 2017 a ‘Committee for the Draft National Education
Policy’  was constituted under the Chairmanship of eminent scientist Padma Vibhushan, Dr. K.
Kasturirangan, which submitted the Draft National Education Policy, 2019 to the Hon’ble Human
Resource Development Minister on 31st May, 2019.  The Draft National Education Policy 2019 
was uploaded on MHRD’s website and at ‘MyGov Innovate’ portal eliciting
views/suggestions/comments of stakeholders, including public.
 

Kindly click here to see PDF

 

*********

VRRK/AK

(Release ID: 1642049) Visitor Counter : 1443

Read this release in: Malayalam , Urdu , Marathi , Gujarati , Tamil , Telugu

Download PIB APP

 