Panaji: The state government will commence the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from the forthcoming academic year 2023-24, initially for the 5-year foundation level including pre-primary schools, specifically for the students within the age group from 3 years to 8 years.
Secretary for Education, Prasad Lolienkar, addressing a press conference on Monday said that this time, the academic year will start from the month of July for the students under the foundation level.
“The month of June will be utilised to make all the preparations for the implementation of the NEP 2020,” he observed, pointing out, “This particular part of the NEP 2020, to be implemented from the year 2023-24, will have imparting of education through use of play
method instead of books and focus on physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, moral and other overall development of the child.”
It was also informed that there will be no exams at this level; however, these students would be evaluated after five years. Furthermore, the teachers will be trained to execute the NEP 2020 curriculum.
As per NEP 2020, the education is divided into foundation level that is first five years, followed by three years of preparatory education, three years of middle level and four years of secondary level.
“The final nomenclature for various classes has not yet been decided but would be in-line with the nomenclature decided by the Centre,” Lolienkar informed.
Speaking further, the secretary for Education said that a committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Prof. Anil Samant for preparing the State Curriculum Framework. “The forthcoming academic year will, however, commence with the National Education Framework of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT),” he informed.
The Anil Samant committee will be responsible for the inclusion of state relevant topics in the curriculum as a state specific framework would be designed. This committee will be responsible for designing the state specific framework. The committee is expected to submit its report in next six months, following which state specific content would be incorporated in the curriculum.
Lolienkar also said that henceforth no pre-primary schools would be able to function without the approval of the education department. “All such institutions will have to get the approval of the government before 2025,” he noted, pointing out that this approval would be granted to them based on infrastructure, trained teachers, capacity of the institution to deliver the course content under NEP 2020, and so on.
It was further informed that no pre-primary school would be allowed to operate without the approval of the department after May 31, 2025. The education department has already directed the pre-primary, anganwadis, balwadis and nursery, play-way, kindergarten schools and crèches, and so on in the state, to apply with the DoE (School Education), either for their opening or continuation under NEP 2020, in accordance with NEP 2020.
“By 2026, all 3,000 foundation level schools including 1,500 anganwadi schools, around 1,200 private pre-primary schools and government-pre primary schools will have to switch over to NEP curriculum,” Lolienkar added, maintaining that the free structure of all the schools would also be monitored through specially constituted committees.
Director for education, Shailesh Zingade, and director National Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Shambhu Ghadi, were also present for the briefing.