"NEP can potentially transform India's education," says Rajesh Bhatia

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, is supposed to transform India's education sector with a learner-centric approach. It envisions a unified curriculum from early childhood to higher education, emphasising competency-based, inclusive, and innovative approaches. The policy also recommends changes in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), school, and higher education structure.

One of the major changes as recommended by NEP is a four-year undergraduate programme (FYUGP) with multiple entry and exit options for the students. Amidst discussions going on whether this will be a boon or bane, in June, the University Grants Commission (UGC) announced that 105 universities, including 19 central universities, are scheduled to commence the FYUGP in the academic year 2023-24.

However, many leading educators in India believe that perspective planning at both central and state levels to support the transformational aspects of NEP will make a big impact on the Indian educational sector.

"If implemented well, NEP will add to the momentum towards the goal of sustainable education for all by 2030. It emphasises the importance of a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to education, encouraging students to explore a wide range of subjects, including the arts, sciences, and vocational courses, enabling them to discover their interests and skills. Its most significant impact will be on how students learn; it will be more activity-based, following an experiential learning methodology," says Rajesh Bhatia, founder-managing director of the nationwide TreeHouse chain of schools.

According to him, the changes would have a significant effect not only at the school level but also at the higher classes including graduation. "For instance, our undergraduate programs have traditionally been categorised into Science, Commerce, and Arts subjects. However, this will no longer be the case with the launch of FYUGP, as you will be able to study subjects like accounting or costing alongside physics. It's a wonderful development, isn't it? This is what we need for the future: the knowledge of students should transcend the boundaries of specific topics," adds Rajesh Bhatia.

Another standout feature of NEP is its focus on skill education. Bhatia believes that the technological advancements in this digital era have made it imperative for learning to enhance employability. NEP, he believes, will help bridge the digital divide too.

"NEP proposes the formation of the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), which will standardise content and pedagogy and promote the adoption of continuously evolving technologies for digital learning nationwide," he says. Furthermore, the emphasis on incorporating regional languages into schools, rather than solely focusing on Hindi and English, will also contribute to fostering linguistic inclusivity within our education system.

Citing a theoretical analysis published by the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Education and Research in 2023 to support his views, Rajesh Bhatia said that the NEP is designed to alleviate the burden of classroom teaching and examinations on students, which will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the country.

"As the study report suggests, its success primarily depends on uniform and transparent implementation at all levels, ensuring equitable resource distribution. This significant task can be realized only when there is 100 percent cooperation and collaboration among various stakeholders, supported by institutional mechanisms," he concluded.