On July 29, 2020, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was set forth by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now renamed Ministry of Education). This policy has been put forward, to reconstruct the Indian Education System, in other words, to we can say to transform the present Education system and prepare it for future requirements.
The 10+2 system of formal education was mainly concentrated on continuous standardised testing and was supposed to be a way to decide mastery or competence over a subject. Almost all schools, whether private or government-owned, have the same antiquated system and schedule that was once beneficial to the agriculture-based society and economy. Now the time has changed, industries and prosperity in the future will have a new level of requirement in terms of skills and knowledge. The newly mechanised world requires a different kind of informed and understanding equipped populace.
The NEP 2020 has extended its boundary and absorbed playschools; considering it an essential part of the formal education system. This will help in formalising or assimilating them into the mainstream of education systems
In the recent years, there have not been major changes in education and thus the values of curiosity and imagination were not given the thrust. Instead, we moved towards a herd community. The mapping of interest, ability, and demand was needed. The NEP 2020 will bring a quality change in education at an affordable price. It reflects lesser regulation, better teaching and learning techniques, better teacher training and purposeful and relevant exams specially designed to access wisdom rather than knowledge. William Wordsworth said “A child is a father of Nation” and proper grooming of a child starts from day one. Including Play School in the purview of NEP 2020 shows the vision of the government. The NEP 2020 shares similarities in terms of its features with the education systems of Finland and South Korean. Both these are treated as the best education systems in the world.
Every country equates education to its national interest and moves forward. The goal is that the education system should keep the present and future generation future-ready. NEP’s basis in India is similar. NEP’s goal is to enable the youth of the country for future challenges.
South Korea has six years of primary school, three years of lower secondary school and three years of upper secondary school, which is academic or vocational in the pattern. The education in school life involves necessary study skills, problem-solving, creativity and learning through play. The lower secondary school includes local language, moral culture, physical education, English, music, arts and some elective papers.
In Finland, every child gets early childhood education before their school age. In early childhood, they learn social and manual skills, along with games, sports, music and excursions. The goal is to facilitate the development of and learning among children, along with curiosity generation. In preschool, students learn things which will help them in schools. They can learn it in their language, and if not, then they get assistance in learning Finnish or Swedish. During their school, learning the focus is on developing cooperation rather than competition. The learning covers daily phenomena, information technology, communication and some vocational training. The goal has shifted from traditional examination evaluation pattern to practical skills development.
The level of primary education, along with employment opportunities, will improve. Well recognised Edu-preneurs or intellectuals will be in a position to contribute at a much higher level in the education industry by opening pre-schools. The consideration of playschool as a part of formal education will provide new opportunities for mushrooming and grooming of affiliated playschools
We need to develop critical thinking and innovative thinking abilities in our youths. It will be possible if we have purpose, philosophy, and passion of education. Playschools in India are hugely unorganised in terms of teaching, curriculum design and pedagogy. The NEP 2020 has extended its boundary and absorbed playschools; considering it an essential part of the formal education system. This will help in formalising or assimilating them into the mainstream education system. The national guidelines will help in formulating the order of playschools and making their functioning smooth and standardised. This will give edu-preneurs a unified direction to move into. The level of primary education, along with employment opportunities, will improve. Well recognised Edu-preneurs or intellectuals will be in a position to contribute at a much higher level in the education industry by opening pre-schools. The consideration of playschool as a part of formal education will provide new opportunities for mushrooming and grooming of affiliated playschools. Till date, very few playschools are under any official education body or as per the expected standards. This will improve and transform the basic and the initial phase of learning.
Many types of research have proven than being multilingual facilitates learning, i.e. a multilingual student learns new things faster than a monolingual. They are more creative and problem-solving. Multilanguage (Local Language) approach of education will improve the poor literacy and numeracy associated with primary schools, reduce dropouts and provide early childhood care. This will help in the realisation of Sarwa Shiksha Abhiyaan. Bharat Ratna “Mahamana” Shri Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya had a mantra for students “Doodh Piyo Kasrat Karo, Nitya Japo Harinaam, Mann Lagai Vidya Padho, Purenge Sab Kaam”. He firmly believed in the holistic development of students over career development. With the NEP 2020, this dream of Mahamana has leapt a step closer to reality.
(Descriptor: Dr Pavnesh Kumar is Professor Department of Management Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar. Chandan Veer is Research Scholar Department of Management Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Central University Bihar)
(Source: academics4nation.org)
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