The past year has been not only about resurgence from the dread of Covid19 (though the virus has not yet been erased); a new education policy took up the storm of discussion. However, parents keep worrying about their children’s lack of skills in relation to real life, especially given the online spike in study format. Given those disadvantages and the already undertaken research, the New Education Policy (NEP) 2023 has many advantages.
The first thing that anyone talks about is the change from the 10+2 format to the 5+3+3+4 format. We shall look further into how the NEP 2023 is different.
WHY NEP 2023?
- It was long overdue and our education system needed to be at par with global level
- Needed more emphasis on RWLS skills for kids
- Connect to Indian Culture through regional languages
- Transparency in governance
- Better Evaluation System
- Flexible Learning Setup
- More languages to learn
MAJOR REFORMS IN NEP 2023
The Major Reforms in Education Policy according to the NEP 2023 are listed below.
- There will be no longer the present division between the arts, sciences, academic, vocational, curricular, and extracurricular disciplines.
- Foundational Reading and Numeracy will be prioritised.
- The 10+2 structure is replaced by a 5+3+3+4 model.
- No state language is imposed on students studying in any state.
- Students are permitted to take the Board Examinations twice.
- Instead of 1.7%, the government will spend 6% of the country’s GDP on education.
- The funds allocated for gender inclusion will be rigorously implemented.
- The government would take extra measures to ensure that gifted youngsters receive a suitable education.
- The undergraduate courses will last four years.
- A 4-year integrated B.Ed Course will be required to apply for the position of teacher.
- A Common Admission Examination for admission to HEIs will be implemented.
- The Master of Philosophy program will be redundant.
- In Secondary School, pupils will be able to choose from a variety of disciplines such as arts and crafts, vocational courses, and physical education.
- The PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) organization will define the standards for Board Examinations. The government will make Indian literature and other classical languages part of the educational curriculum.
- Students will be required to give exams only in classes 2nd, 5th, and 8th.
(Source: Leverageedu.com)
WHAT DOES THE NEW FORMAT MEAN?
The new education format of the 5+3+3+4 structure means that –
- The Foundation Stage of Learning includes 3 years of pre-primary and 2 years of 1st and 2nd grade.
- The Preparatory Stage of Learning includes 3rd, 4th and 5th grades.
- The Middle School consists of 6th, 7th and 8th grades.
- The Secondary School Years consist of 4 years ie. 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades.
The cognitive learning during each of these stages is different hence the emphasis will be on focusing on each of these stages rather than putting pressure on boards.
Overall, the emphasis is to get the children to learn in their language of usage ie. their mother tongue and adapt themselves to learning. This brings less pressure on the learning setup and slowly helps them transition to global learning levels. NEP 2023 also has made changes in the college level and professional degrees’ education. It has made do away with MPhil too.
So while NEP 2023 is trying to bring crucial and new changes in learning, our decades of learning pattern will take time to rehaul itself.