Key features of NEP 2020: School Education
July 17, 2024 2024-07-17 20:47Key features of NEP 2020: School Education
Key features of NEP 2020: School Education
Following our series of blog posts on the salient features of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, we bring you a subsequent blog post that introduces you to further features of the policy:
Holistic development of learners
The core message of this section is a move away from rote memorization and towards a deeper understanding. A breakdown of the key points is as under:
- Learning, not just memorizing: The revamped curriculum and teaching methods aim to equip students with the ability to understand concepts and develop the skills of self-learning.
- Holistic Development: Education goes beyond just academics. The goal is to develop well-rounded individuals with strong character and the key skills needed to thrive in the 21st century.
- Focus on Specific Skills and Values: A defined set of skills and values will be identified for each stage of learning, from pre-school to higher education. These will be integrated into the curriculum to ensure a holistic learning experience.
A streamlined curriculum for better learning
This section lays emphasis on reducing the sheer volume of content in each subject. It emphasizes:
- Focus on Core Essentials: Curriculum content will be reduced to prioritize the most fundamental concepts and ideas.
- Making Room for Critical Thinking: By reducing content, students will have more time and space to develop critical thinking skills.
- Shifting to Active Learning: The emphasis will move from passive learning (memorization) to a more interactive approach. This includes inquiry-based learning (asking questions), discovery-based learning (exploring and finding knowledge), discussion-based learning (collaborative learning through discussions) and analysis-based learning (breaking down information and forming conclusions).
- Learning by Doing: The focus will shift towards practical applications and problem-solving skills.
Experiential learning takes center stage
The NEP draws attention to experiential learning across all stages of school education. It includes:
- Hands-on Activities: Students will actively engage with the material through practical exercises and projects.
- Integration of Arts and Sports: Learning will be enriched by incorporating arts and sports into the curriculum to make it more engaging.
- Storytelling: Storytelling will be used as a standard teaching method to enhance the understanding and retention of students.
Encouraging multilingualism
This section emphasizes multilingualism in education and proposes several key strategies:
- Focus on Mother Tongue: Schools, both public and private, will strive to use the child’s home language (mother tongue, local language, regional language) as the primary medium of instruction at least until Grade 5 and preferably up to Grade 8 or beyond. This will help build a strong foundation in the early years.
- Sustaining Local Languages: Even after transitioning to other languages, schools will continue teaching the student’s home language wherever possible.
- Quality Multilingual Materials: The initiative will be supported by creating quality textbooks, including science materials, in various Indian languages.
- Interactive Language Learning: All languages will be taught in an engaging and interactive manner to make language learning enjoyable.
- Teacher Exchange Programmes: States can collaborate through bilateral agreements to facilitate the exchange of teachers thereby promoting language diversity within schools.
- Student Choice in Languages: The three languages a student learns will be determined by a combination of state preferences, regional needs and student choice. However, at least two of the three languages must be Indian languages.
- Bilingual Science and Math Resources: Efforts will be made to develop quality bilingual textbooks and learning materials for science and math. This will help students think and discuss these subjects at ease in both their home language and English.
- Supporting Students with Hearing Impairment: Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardized across the country. Additionally, national and state-level curriculum materials will be developed specifically for students with hearing disabilities.
A holistic curriculum
This section explains how the NEP revamps the curriculum to integrate essential subjects, skills and capacities:
Essential skills and values
The curriculum is primarily based on the development of myriad critical skills and values including:
- Scientific Thinking: Encouraging a questioning mind and using evidence to support ideas.
- Creativity and Innovation: Encouraging creative problem-solving and innovative thinking.
- Communication Skills: Developing strong oral and written communication skills.
- Health and Wellbeing: Promoting healthy habits, nutrition and physical fitness.
- Collaboration and Teamwork: Building strong teamwork and collaboration skills.
- Problem-solving and Critical Thinking: Equipping students with the ability to solve problems and think critically.
- Vocational Skills: Providing exposure to various vocational skills and career paths.
- Digital Literacy: Developing essential digital literacy skills including coding and computational thinking.
- Ethical Reasoning: Inculcating strong ethical and moral values.
Introducing contemporary subjects
The curriculum also incorporates contemporary subjects at appropriate stages such as:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Design Thinking
- Holistic Health
- Organic Living
- Environmental Education
- Global Citizenship Education (GCED)
Focus on math and coding
- Mathematics and computational thinking will receive more importance throughout the school years.
- Coding activities will be introduced in the Middle Stage (Grades 6-8) to equip students with basic coding skills.
- Throughout the year, schools will encourage “bagless days” to inspire enriching activities like arts, quizzes, sports and vocational crafts.
Stay tuned for more as we continue to explore the transformative features of NEP 2020 in our upcoming blog posts.