The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved National Education Policy 2020 bringing major reforms in higher education including a target of 50 per cent Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 2035 and provision for multiple entry and exits.
Addressing a press conference here, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said a 21st century National Education Policy (NEP) has been approved by the cabinet today.
"Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given approval to the new education policy for the 21st century. It is important as for 34 years there were no changes in the education policy. I am confident that this will be welcomed by entire society and nation as well as the world's educators," he said.
Under the new education policy, the government said the national mission will now focus on basic literacy and numeracy and regional language to be the medium of instruction till Class 5.
Board exams will be low stakes & test actual knowledge instead of rote learning; Mother tongue to be a medium of instruction till 5th grade; report cards will be a comprehensive report on skills and capabilities instead of just marks and statements: Government of India pic.twitter.com/IcLN6J90na
— ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2020
Announcing the changes, Javadekar said there are major changes in the pedagogical structure of curriculum with no rigid separation between streams, adding all separations between vocational, academic, extra-curricular will be removed.
According to the new policy, Board exams will test actual knowledge of the student instead of rote learning. The report cards will be comprehensive on skills and capabilities instead of marks, it added.
Amit Khare, Higher Education Secretary, said it was a historic day and the country has got a New Education Policy (NEP) after 34 years.
"Following the new education policy and reforms, we will achieve 50 per cent Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 2035," he said.
He said the NEP includes graded academic, administrative and financial autonomy for institutions and a single regulator for all higher education, working under a self-disclosure based transparent system for approvals in place of numerous 'inspections'.
"There are over 45,000 affiliated colleges in our country. Under graded autonomy, academic, administrative and financial autonomy will be given to colleges on the basis of the status of their accreditation. E-courses will be developed in regional languages. Virtual labs will be developed and a National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) is being created," Khare said.
He said a wide consultation process was adopted in the formulation of NEP 2020. "All 250,000 gram panchayats were approached through online platform. Opinions of governments, departments, academic and common people were taken," he said.