National Education Policy 2020 – Significance & Challenges – Explained Pointwise

This year marks the completion of 5 years of National Education Policy (NEP) which was launched in 2020. The  National Education Policy 2020 promised a sweeping reset of both school & higher education & it marks a remarkable progress in the area of education and learning.

National Education Policy 2020:

• The NEP 2020 is based on the recommendations of Kasturirangan and T.S.R. Subramanian committees.
• NEP 2020 is India’s 3rd education policy since independence.
• NEP 2020 lays emphasis on reforms in education at all levels from pre-primary to higher education. It aims to transform the Indian education system to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Major provisions of NEP:

• School education:
  • Universalization of education by 2030 through 100% GER (Gross Enrollment Ratio) from pre-primary to secondary.
  • Open schooling system (no admission requirements like NIOS) for out-of-school children.
  • 5+3+3+4 curriculum system replacing existing 10+2 system.
  • Teaching in mother tongue up to class 5 with no imposition of any language.
  • The NEP envisages less high-stakes board exams. From 2026, CBSE plans to allow class 10 students to sit for board exams twice a year.
  • Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE): NEP aims to make ECCE universal by 2030. NCERT’s Jaadui Pitara Learning Kits are already in use & MoWCD has issued a National ECCE Curriculum.
• Higher education:
  • Broad-based, multi-disciplinary, holistic UG (Undergraduate) education with provisions of a flexible curriculum, integration of vocational education, multiple entries & exit points with respective degrees, and also undergraduate programs in regional languages.
  • Introduction of Four-Year Undergraduate Programs (FYUP).
  • Multiple Entry-Exit system with academic credits.
  • Academic Bank of Credits to enable transfers of credits between institutions
  • HECI (Higher Education Commission of India) as umbrella regulator except for legal and medical education.
  • Promotion of multilingualism in schools and colleges.
  • Phasing out of affiliation system. 
  • Engineering in regional languages: The government will also announce the launch of engineering degrees in regional languages in about 14 smaller institutions.
  • Common test for college entry: CUET, introduced in 2020, is now a key route to undergraduate admissions.
  • Establishment of Indian campus abroad & foreign universities campuses in India.
• Teacher Education & Training:
  • Teacher Education: A 4-year integrated B.Ed. degree will be the minimum qualification for teaching by 2030.
  • Continuous Professional Development (CPD): Teachers will be required to participate in 50 hours of CPD every year.
  • National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST): Developed by 2022.
• Increased Public Investment: Aims to increase public investment in education to 6% of GDP from the current ~4.6%.
• Gender Inclusion Fund: To build the country’s capacity to provide equitable quality education for all girls.
• Special Education Zones (SEZs): To be declared for disadvantaged regions and groups.
• Digital Education: National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) will be created as an autonomous body to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to improve learning, assessment, planning, and administration.
• PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development): A new National Assessment Centre to set norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment. Under PARAKH, Progress Cards are developed that go beyond marks & include peer & self-assessment. 

What is the significance of NEP 2020?

1. Structural Overhaul: The traditional 10+2 system is replaced by the 5+3+3+4 model, aligning Indian education with global standards. This structure prioritizes foundational learning (ages 3–8), prepares students for critical thinking, and allows flexibility in subject choices at the secondary level.
2. Focus on Early Childhood Education: Universalization of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for children aged 3-6 is a cornerstone, ensuring all children enter primary school with a strong foundation.
3. Mother Tongue and Multilingualism: NEP 2020 recommends teaching in the mother tongue or regional language up to at least Grade 5 (preferably Grade 8), which studies show improves comprehension and retention.
4. Holistic and Multidisciplinary Education: NEP 2020 moves away from rote memorization, emphasizing critical thinking, creativity, and conceptual understanding. It supports a multidisciplinary approach at all levels, encouraging integration of arts, sciences, and vocational subjects for a broader learning experience.
5. Skill Development and Vocational Education: Vocational training and skill development are introduced from early grades, aiming to make students “future-ready” and better prepared for the job market.
6. Promoting Equity and Inclusion: Initiatives like the Gender Inclusion Fund and Special Education Zones (SEZs) demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality education for all, especially girls, children with disabilities, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups.
7. Focus on foundational skills: NIPUN Bharat, launched in 2021, seeks to ensure every child can read & do basic math by the end of class 3.

What are some of the limitations of NEP 2020?

1. Funding Concerns: The policy reiterates the long-standing recommendation to increase public investment in education to 6% of GDP. However, achieving this target has been a persistent challenge for decades, and the NEP 2020 does not provide a concrete roadmap or immediate financial commitment to ensure this increase. Without adequate funding, many of the proposed reforms will remain on paper.
2. 3-Language Formula: NEP proposes 3 languages in school, at least 2 of them Indian. But this provision has been politicized in several States for e.g. in TN, which follows a Tamil-English model, it has been seen as an attempt to impose Hindi language.
3. Teacher Education Overhaul has not happened: The National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, due in 2021, is yet to be released. The 4-year integrated B.Ed course has been announced under the Integrated Teacher Education Programme, but colleges offering existing programmes like Bachelor of Elementary Education are pushing back.
4. Access to Technology: While the NEP emphasizes technology integration and online learning, the existing digital divide in India (especially between urban and rural areas, and across socio-economic strata) remains a significant barrier. Many students and teachers lack access to reliable internet, devices, and digital literacy. The digital divide is also causing the education divide in India. Today, over 90 percent of students do not have devices that allow them to access online learning holistically.
5. Increased Privatization: Critics argue that the policy, while advocating for public investment, also opens doors for increased private sector participation, potentially leading to the commercialization of education and making quality education less accessible to the poor.
6. Over-centralization (Centre v/s State): While the idea of a single overarching regulator (HECI) aims for streamlining, some critics worry about potential over-centralization and reduced autonomy for institutions. The policy centralizes power in the central government, potentially reducing states’ autonomy and flexibility to address local educational needs and contexts. Several opposition ruled States have pushed back against key NEP provisions for e.g. Kerala, TN, West Bengal have refused to sign MoUs with Centre to set up PM-SHRI Schools, citing clauses that require full adoption of NEP.

What can be the way forward?

1. Capacity Building: For the NEP to move forward, India needs a robust institutional mechanism and large-scale capacity building to create enthusiasm among stakeholders. Every stakeholder at the state, district, sub-district, block-level has to have ownership and understand the concepts of NEP.
2. Bridging Digital and Infrastructure Gaps:
   • To help children to realize their full potential, India requires effective strategies to physically equip teachers and students with better tools in the classroom, increase access to laptops and other gadgets, install interactive whiteboards and provide fast and reliable internet access.
   • Invest in digital infrastructure—devices, internet connectivity, and offline resources—in rural and disadvantaged areas to avoid deepening the digital divide.
3. Empower States: Allow states flexibility to adapt implementation to local contexts, languages, and priorities within NEP’s broad framework. Directorates of education have to be strengthened in order to ensure that the policy permeates to the district and zonal level educational clusters.
4. Providing the necessary financial resources:
   • Concrete Funding Roadmap: The government must develop a clear, time-bound roadmap for achieving the 6% of GDP target for public investment in education. This needs to go beyond aspirational statements and include specific budgetary allocations for each proposed reform.
   • A special purpose vehicle (SPV) needs to be created to ensure NEP funds are available and that the implementation process is not delayed.
   • India also needs to promote private philanthropy for funding both public and private higher education institutions.

Conclusion:
In order to implement the NEP, research, evaluation and documentation are essential along with coordination and convergence of the policy and programs connected with the NEP.