Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has called the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 a revolutionary reform of the 21st century.
According to an official statement, in the opening speech at the Mumbai Parle Tilak Vidyalay Association’s Centennial Year Teacher’s Day celebration through a video link, said early childhood education, education-based research, teacher training, basic and numerical literacy, all have been emphasized. The Minister said that NEP 2020 will empower our youth, which will advance the nation into the 21st century.
“The policy is such that it will make the teaching-learning experience enjoyable for both students and teachers,” he added.
Javadekar expressed confidence that India would double the gross enrollment rate in the next 10 years from the current level of around 25 percent.
“Students across the country have become applicants and economic growth has fueled the seriousness of parents to provide a good education for their children. The wider geographical distribution of higher education institutions, covering especially rural areas and increasing demand, would be the critical factors that will improve the annual growth rate in India, ”said Javadekar.
The minister began his speech by invoking Lokmanya Tilak’s views on education as a means of raising awareness. He said the new policy emphasizes basic and numerical literacy and that institutes like the National Institute for Open Education (NIOS) would give everyone access to education.
The minister stressed the importance of Early Childhood Education as the main characteristic of the NEP. He said that three to eight years of age is to develop cognitive skills, curiosity and mental ability. He also said that education with understanding of the subject is more important than rote learning.
While activity-based learning is emphasized in the early stages, education from ninth to twelfth would focus on new, relevant, and detailed knowledge that will induce scientific temperament among children. Javadekar said that research and innovation are key to enabling our education to shape competitive citizens globally.
He said 3,000 “Atal Tinkering Labs” are being run successfully to foster research-based innovation, which is essential to building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Referring to the role of teachers in society, the minister said: “A teacher does not simply teach through books or blackboards. The ideal teacher is one who instills values in students through their behavior ”.
A four-year integrated B.Ed degree is being introduced to provide a comprehensive training program for teachers, which will include practical teaching skills. It will encourage teachers to become teachers by choice and not as a last resort, he added.
“The National Education Policy has been formulated after extensive consultation. Recalling his days as HRD minister, he said that between 13 and 14 experts in the field had worked with great sincerity and zeal under the leadership of Dr. K Kasturirangan, ”said Javadekar.
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