THE NEW EDUCATION POLICY_ A BOUQUET OF MUCH NEEDED REFORMS

None of us are new to the debates which have surrounded the educational system in India. There has always been a lobby stating that our education system needed a major overhaul and that we needed to make our children more industry and practical life ready.

Multiple changes in the curriculum were done to reflect this mindset as well. The introduction of subjects such as Informatics Practices, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology at the 10+2 levels, way back in the year 2005 was one such step. The history and geography of the world were significantly cut down upon. While many public-school going generations grew up reading about the Roman and Brazilian empire, no later than 2000 were the kids found studying only the relevant bits about Indian history and geography. Civics and Economics were given more focus upon as well to provide the foundation for kids looking at a career in public policy or humanities.

However, a lot still had to be done. Mere dilution of the course, easing out the exams and change of the curriculum wasn’t enough. The education system needed way more than that. Coming to the degree programs as well, the situation was no different. The drop-outs couldn’t get a degree, and adult-education options were limited. Most students who dropped out of school ended up being unskilled or semi-skilled workers. The situation was such a major Catch-22 that if one dropped out of school or college once, the chances of them getting back to education or even generating enough resources to enable themselves for it were tough.

So, those were some of the major problems that plagued our education system and prevented the countrymen from garnering a decent education. The Newest Educational Reforms, however, is set to change that.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW REFORM

While we shall cover almost all the points in the new policy in detail below, here are some major notable mentions-

• 10+2 board structure has been dropped and replaced by the 5+3+3+4 structure. The first five classes will be pre-school, then mid school, the senior secondary and class 12th onwards it will be graduation. The schools will follow the semester system too for examination.
• The initial education can be imparted in the respective mother tongue.
• All the Degree programs will be 4 years and vocational courses will be available class 6 onwards. The students will have the option to choose the subject of their interest from class 8th and onwards.
• All higher education will be governed by only one authority and UGC & AICTE will be merged. There will be a universal grading system as well which will be followed across.
• The Ministry of HRD will now be known as the Ministry of Education.
• The New Education Policy has also opened doors for Foreign Universities to open their campus in India.

Now, let us have a look at the details of major changes that the reform brought in and how they fare in terms of making the students future-ready.

FOCUS ON LEARNING OUTCOMES

One of the biggest challenges that the country has faced with respect to its education system is the sync between the educational level and the corresponding learning outcome. This problem has been more glaring especially in the context of the government schools where despite the provision of all the possible resources, the students didn’t know as much as they should at their specific class level.

The new education system, however, focuses on activity-based learning for the same. There are also strict parameters put in place which will make sure that the kids are monitored gradually and so are the teachers too. Such a kind of monitoring will make sure that proper checks are placed on the students’ learning outcomes and embedding some form of knowledge in them is ensured.

Read also: Implementing an Online Learning Content Strategy

MAKING THE STUDENTS’ INDUSTRY READY

A lot of students, because of their personal or financial reasons opt for vocational training at a later stage. Finding such relevant training is tough and even if it is found, the quality isn’t necessarily guaranteed. However, with the new educational system, vocational training will be imparted right with the usual curriculum. Thus, if there are students who because of any financial constraints aren’t able to take up studies further, they will still have the option to pursue a career.

IMPORTANCE OF STREET-SMARTNESS

The holistic report-card approach is a step towards it. It hasn’t been uncommon that the section on the right side of the report-cards which graded the students for their physical fitness, communication skills, smartness and other soft-skills is taken for granted. Most decent students score well on that and parents do not even bother to look at it.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that it is because of this attitude that most academically stronger Indian students end up being not so street smart. However, with the new education reforms, these soft-skills will be mandatorily included in the curriculum. Such a step will ensure that the students grow not just academically but on an overall level too.

PEER TO PEER EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

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Regards

Perminder Singh Malik