Advantages of New Education Policy

Advantages of New Education Policy

New National Framework for School Education

Main Examination: General Studies Paper 2

August 28, 2023

Context:

  • Recently, in the light of the new education policy, the National Curriculum Framework ie NCF has been announced, but even after three years, the new education policy has not been implemented in all the states. States have their own different views on this, but it cannot be ignored that the new education policy presents a draft of a new system under the current circumstances, which is the need of the country.

New Education Policy:

  • Education is that mirror of the society, in which both face and face can be made beautiful. Giving wide scope to this principle, a new education policy was formed in 2020, in which many positive objectives were included.
  • One of its major objectives is to achieve 100 percent gross enrollment ratio from primary to secondary level by 2030. After the approval of the Union Cabinet, the process of its implementation started across the country.
  • In this sequence, Karnataka is the first state in the country, where the new education policy was implemented.
  • Madhya Pradesh is the second state, where in August 2021 it was talked about implementing it in school and higher education.
  • • Apart from this, all the states including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Assam started preparing for this. It was also started in higher education in Uttarakhand from the academic session 2022-23.
  • • It is noteworthy that before this the education policy was implemented in 1986, which was amended in 1992, and since then the same system has been going on continuously.
  • After 34 years, a new education model was implemented in the country, which was drafted by a committee of experts headed by former ISRO chief Kasturi Rangan.
  • Many changes have been made in the new education policy from school education to higher education.
  • There are many new dimensions in the new education policy. It is liberal in terms of language and much more flexible in terms of curriculum.
  • Looking at the step by step process, now the beginning of education in India will start from the base level, in which the first three years children will study pre-school in Anganwadi, after that they will go to school for the next two years i.e. class one and two, which will be under the new syllabus. It will be activity based learning.
  • This is the first five year phase of studies. The second stage is the three-year 'Preparatory Stage', in which classes will be held for the children of students aged three to five and eleven years. While the secondary level of education is classes six to eight and ages eleven to fourteen.

There is no position to impose language in the new education policy

  • After this, the next phase is from class nine to twelfth, in which students have been given the freedom to choose the subject of their interest.
  • The special thing in this is that there is a provision to keep the medium of education in the mother tongue, local or regional language till the fifth grade.
  • There is a provision to study foreign language at secondary level, which can be extended to class eight or beyond. That is, there is no situation to impose language in the new education policy.

Brain Drain will stop

  • Many changes have also been made at the higher education level. Several references are contained in the degree program. For example, a student who wants to go into research has to do four years of graduation and one year of post graduation. For those who want to join the job, this program will be of three years.
  • There will be direct admission in research ie PhD, here the need for MPhil has been done away with. That is, higher education is also flexible and apart from leaving studies and then joining it, there are many facilities.
  • The doors have also opened for foreign universities. But how soon this change will be able to hit the ground, it is difficult to say. However, with the opening of doors to the top 200 foreign universities in India, the level of higher education is also expected to increase.
  • Along with this, brain drain can also be stopped.

Maximum fee limit will be fixed

  • The 'Regulation of Entry and Operation Bill 2010' brought by the government for foreign educational institutions has been implemented. Every year more than seven and a half lakh Indians study abroad by spending six billion dollars, the number of which is increasing continuously. From this point of view, not only will this stop, but the country will also get economic benefits.
  • However, the question is also that seeing the educational environment of India, will foreign universities turn to work here. In such a situation, when in the new education policy, it has been said to fix the maximum fee limit.
  • The special thing is that there is a target to reach 50 percent gross enrollment ratio in higher education by 2035, which is almost double from 26 percent in the year 2018.

Current Education System of Other Countries:

America

  • Schools in America lay more emphasis on practical understanding and extra-curricular activities.
  • Here the category of primary, secondary and high school has been kept.

China

  • China's education system also has four stages. First primary education, then professional education and then higher education and finally adult education.
  • The special thing is that here education is necessary and free for Chinese children aged 6 to 15 years. There is an average rule of keeping 35 students in a class.
  • There is no reservation of any kind in admission. There, children are enrolled in school from the age of 6 years.

Europe

  • The education system of Switzerland is unique in itself. It is internationally renowned for providing education from elementary to higher education.
  • Many countries in Europe, including Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, England, France and Italy, have become a force to be reckoned with in terms of education.
  • Education in the Netherlands is considered to be very affordable.
  • Along with education, in many countries, part-time job is also available. Apart from this there are many facilities.

Conclusions:

  • There is a possibility of many reforms and plans in the field of education with the new education policy, so that the future generation can be prepared mentally and intellectually according to the goal. By the way, after independence, many commissions and committees were formed regarding education. There have also been extensive changes in the education system before independence.
  • Education in the mother tongue in the new education policy highlights the context that Lord Macaulay's era of English education in 1954 will no longer be on that scale. Education related commissions were formed in 1964, 1966 and 1968 and 1975. But in the new education policy, initiatives have been taken to change from basic level to higher education. But there is still an expectation that this policy should be put on the ground in a practical way soon.
  • India's new education policy can be a better answer to many such questions, provided it is properly implemented. If it is brought into circulation with speed and positivity, then its results will also be big.

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Mains Exam Question

Critically evaluate the recently released new education policy for school education.