The Union government has announced a new National Education Policy, 34 years after the last one. The proposals in it have largely been welcomed by stakeholders. Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare speaks to THE WEEK, explaining how the policy will take effect over the next few years. Excerpts:
By when should we see the NEP rolling out?
There are around 140 recommendations each, for school and higher education. So, the policy will be rolled out in phases. For the new degree system, we will have credit transfers, and [for that] we have to create a credit storage first. The credit bank should be ready by December. So, from academic year 2021, flexible degrees will be introduced in the Institutes of Eminence (IOE) and in state universities that wish to join.
In schools, we need to have the curriculum framework ready for the first five years of the 5+3+3+4 system. The working groups have been formed, their reports should be submitted by next March, so the new system can be introduced gradually from 2021 itself. By 2023, the first batch of students should be taking the new board exams for Classes 10 and 12.
However, for the next few years, both systems will continue, in schools and colleges, so that students who are already studying in one system are not inconvenienced.
The National Education Technology Forum (NETF) should be set up by December, the Higher Education Commission Bill will be placed in public domain by September end, so that vice-chancellors and academicians can share their comments. The National Research Foundation (NRF) should be ready by December.
So now, will the bachelor’s degree be a four-year course?
The NEP committee was clear that the graduation course should be a four-year programme, leading to a one-year master’s and then directly to PhD. However, a large proportion of students acquire a degree for employment and are not interested in studying further. So, we proposed two degrees. There is a three-year programme, which allows for exits even earlier. For those who want to continue in research, the programme continues to the fourth year.
The system is flexible, and allows students to get back to education after a break, so even those who did the three-year degree can return for a postgraduation after collecting the required credits. Ultimately, the system will be more on collecting credits and not on the strict first-year, second-year format.
Since the new system will bring down the strict walls between the arts, science and commerce streams, now the degree will be called a Bachelor of Liberal Arts, and not a BA or BCom. The graduate can now, for example, have a bachelor’s degree with an honours in physics and a minor in music.
As a spinoff of the policy, will the prerequisites for writing the entrance test for a professional course change, too?
Yes. We already have the Common Aptitude Test (CAT) that does not distinguish between candidates on the basis of subjects studied in school or college. Other entrance tests will also prescribe a syllabus. It is up to the candidate whether she studies for the syllabus through her school curriculum or by herself. These changes might take some time, though.
For a reorientation of education, one requires the right human resources. How long before we have the new army of teachers?
The policy is clear that teaching needs to be of a certain quality. Teaching cannot be considered as a last option, it has to be treated as a respected profession. Presently, we will be introducing a four-year integrated course for teachers. We will also have to focus on re-training existing teachers. Yes, we need a huge capacity building here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that education has to be about critical thinking and not rote learning.
What is the mainstay of NEP 2020?
It is transformational, not incremental. The focus is on foundations.
There is criticism that the policy is focussing more on the vocational aspect and less on academics.
I would not call the thrust vocational, but rather, on life skills. Today, we have huge dropout rates. While enrolment for pre-primary is almost 100 per cent, only 26 per cent make it to graduation level. Similarly, there are huge dropouts after Class 8, 10 and 12.
There are two aspects here. One is, the syllabus should not cause students to drop out. We are even planning that for certain subjects like mathematics, schools will offer two levels, A and B, at the +4 level. Because, if a student wants to get into statistics, why should he be forced through trigonometry?
The other aspect here is that not every student needs to reach the degree level. Yet, those who leave the system at any level should be equipped with life skills. This is for the student as well as for the country. Because their contribution to the GDP increases with skill enhancement.
Implementation is a worry. How will you provide quality teaching when many schools are not more than a shed?
Equity has been a major focus of the policy. Technology-enabled systems are great levellers. In a conventional system, it might take more than a lifetime to see every school equipped with just a good laboratory. However, through virtual labs, we can reach out much better. IIT Madras has already made some virtual labs.
The NETF seeks to look at technology solutions in association with leading software companies and academic institutions. The question of equity is very important for us, we are aware that even technology-enabled solutions may not bridge the gap if schools and students cannot access these technologies.
MAJOR PROPOSALS IN THE NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 2020
• Expanding age group of mandatory schooling from 6-14 to 3-18
• 10+2 school curriculum to be replaced by 5+3+3+4 structure
• Emphasis on mother tongue/regional language as medium of instruction until at least Class 5
• Replacing the UGC and AICTE with Higher Education Commission of India
• Introduction of a four-year multidisciplinary undergraduate programme with multiple exit options
• Scrapping of the MPhil programme
• Setting up of a National Research Foundation