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National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is enforced from July 2020. Many universities and educational institutes has planned its implementation from academic year 2023-24. Role of every stakeholder namely, students, teachers, institutes/university, parents, industry and on large whole society will be vital in effective implementation of NEP.
Obliviously, deliberations and workshops have been gaining momentum about how the New generation - X generation in India will be skilled, creative as well as sensitive and patriotic? Today every state government, universities and schools are working towards imparting education on the basis of the concept of holistic and multidisciplinary as propounded by respected Kasturirangan Sir. According to the policy, the new strength of India will be flexible, open, knowledge and skill based education where students are most beneficial stakeholder, on can say ‘Prince of the National Education Policy 2020’.
TL - current and future
The larger aim of NEP 2020 is to make Indian learners truly global citizens who are future ready. Students are given full freedom in pursuing education with the primary principle of choosing the course according to their individual interest and IQ, EQ capabilities and socioeconomical scenario. Along with class room education, more emphasis is placed on experience, skill development and value-based education. The concept of going to school to play will instill a taste for education.
Instead of reciting spelling, mathematical formulas and dates of historical events, the modern ways of teaching- learning and the setting questions in the examination will be more practical and logic. For example, questions like - On which date was a great leader born? Name the people who accompanied Gandhiji in the Salt Satyagraha, etc are usually set.
Instead of that, what is the contribution of that great leader in the progress of the country? What would we have lost if there had been no salt satyagraha? Such questions and the history understood through them will be of interest to everyone. It may positively lead to situation that many science students will also be interested in history, while sociology students will experiment with socially useful science.
Though India is an agricultural country, no formal education in agriculture is given anywhere except in agricultural colleges, due to that we have not been able to establish agriculture as career option. Even though farmers' children can easily acquire this knowledge in traditional form, fortification of it for industrialization of agro-based products could not achieved.
This is a huge failure of the education system Hence the strategy of NEP aims to impart practical and problem-solving knowledge and skills. Internships or skill development training will put the principles taught in the classroom into practice. Therefore, the ‘information’ delivered in today's classroom lessons will be converted into ‘knowledge’. Multidisciplinary curriculum will eliminate the silos between disciplines like sciences, sociology, agriculture, arts, etc.
Create own degree
As the student could understand the depth and relevance of the subject, he/she will decide whether to continue or change the subject at each stage during the duration of the particular programme. They can ensure about subjects to be taken as subsidiary to the main subject and groom personality in this regard.
In this way the student will create the content of his own degree. For example, students majoring in medicine or pharmacy who take the knowledge of economics with them from the commerce faculty can pursue a useful and practical career in health economics or pharmacoeconomics.
At the same time, by taking personality development lessons like presentation skill, communication skill, etc., the person will become an expert in economic aspects of public health. An artificial intelligence is becoming the watchword of every discipline that will open up new fields of study.
If a university offers secondary subjects like music, singing, sports along with the core subject, the student will be interested to enroll there to fulfill the passion along with career interest. In this way, in a given year one can adopt the teaching method in many disciplines, in one or more colleges and even at the international level. For this, students can leave college after completing 40 credits stage and/or may continue to complete their education by re-admitting for another 40 or more credits.
The four stages of 40 credits each are the two-semester Certificate (40), the four-semester Diploma (80), the six-semester Degree (120) and the eight-semester four-year Honours/Research Degree (160) makes complete structure of UG degree. A candidate can complete degree of three-year duration or full four-year degree course and further he/she can extend studies for five-year duration PhD studies in the form of 3+2- or 4+1-year studies.
Flexible studies and exams
Instead of becoming a doctor or engineer as the parents think, the student is going to study many subjects from class 9th to 12th not just for marks but to decide the direction of his life according to his interest. If a student realizes that a certain subject is becoming difficult or does not arouse interest then there will be no compulsion to pass the subject in any case or any way. For example, if he passes all the subjects in the entire eight semesters, but fails in one subject repeatedly in the university examination, the student cannot graduate today.
Rather than rote learning and learning for exams, now there will be an opportunity to choose optional subjects. Moreover, students can appear for exams as per time and mode of their choice. How many subjects to study in a college after admission? Want to take a course at another college or learn through online mode? Should the same college continue for the entire four years or should it be changed? Or change university?
Students are getting such opportunities due to Academic Bank of Credit (ABC). Perhaps a brilliant student can take more than 40 credits in a given year. Due to this, intelligence which is decided on the basis of marks today will be recognized on the basis of skill and smartness.
Power of language
Education in mother tongue is vital for understanding the principles and concepts. Although the exam can be passed by recitation, understanding the subject matter is very important for research, innovation and leadership development. That is why now the emphasis is going to be on education in local languages. Students who cannot answer in class due to lack of confidence in English language will become vocal. And henceforth there will be an opportunity to learn any language as per requirement of the profession.
Gig economy
In 2022, the median age of Indian was 28.7 years and it will be country of youths in 2030 with 69 per cent of youth. In 2020, about 28.6 per cent of Indian population was of the age 0-14 years, 63.6 per cent of age 15-64 years. It signify importance of new education. Secondly, the average life expectancy is 90 years and thus everyone will be able to work for 40-45 years.
On the contrary, after every five to ten years new skills and knowledge have to be acquired due to new technology and needs. Due to this reason, the model of gig economy is being established all over the world. Due to this, the jobs will become contractual and one has to upgrade to maintain them in that turn live with pace.
Freedom induced indiscipline
In the NEP era, a student will not study in a college for three to four consecutive years, the duration of graduation. So it will be difficult for that student to understand the culture and discipline of the institute. Along with this, since students have full freedom to change college, issues of indiscipline may also arise. Therefore, it will be the moral duty of the students to give proper respect to the teacher and the educational institution while maintaining the inclination towards education.
And everyone should be aware that ‘freedom induced indiscipline’ is going to be the next major challenge of generation-X. Should the openness conferred by the National Education Policy be taken for persuasions of education or for arrogance? That's why the difference between getting independent and making fun of system should be understood and made to understand!
(The author is Principal, Poona College of Pharmacy, Bharti Vidyapeeth, Pune)
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