Key Highlights

• The purpose of NEP 2020 is to make India a “Global Knowledge Superpower.”
• Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) has been renamed as the Ministry of Education to bring the focus back to education and learning.
• Aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% in 2018 to 50% by 2035, and intends to add 35 million new seats to higher education institutions.
• The new policy aspires to universalisation of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio in school education by 2030.
• The Policy emphasises on the setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund and also Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups.
• Governments will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector to 6% of GDP at the earliest.

Higher Education Reforms

• Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body (replacing UGC & AICTE) for all higher education, barring medical and legal education. Public and private higher education institutions will be governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards.
• The policy envisages broad-based, multi-disciplinary, holistic undergraduate education with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education, and multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification.
• An Academic Bank of Credit is to be established for digitally storing academic credits earned from different HEIs.
• Internationalisation of education will be facilitated through both institutional collaborations, and student and faculty mobility, allowing entry of top world ranked universities to open campuses in India.
• Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERU), at par with IITs, IIMs, to be set up as models of best multidisciplinary education of global standards in India.
• The National Research Foundation (NRF) will be created as an apex body for fostering a strong culture of research and building research capacity across higher education.
• Affiliation of colleges is to be phased out in 15 years time, and a stage-wise mechanism is to be established for granting graded autonomy to colleges.
• Measures such as online courses and digital repositories, funding for research, improved student services, credit-based recognition of MOOCs, etc., will be taken to ensure distance learning is at par with the highest quality in-class programmes.

Key takeaways for International Education sector:

A 4-year multi-disciplinary undergraduate degree will be preferred, with an option for dropout to get credit (certificate or Diploma) and return to studies after a break. Foreign institutions may consider accepting dropout students with certificates and diplomas for lateral entry.

Top rated universities of the world will be facilitated to open campuses in India and collaborate for student and faculty mobility. This will encourage partnership with foreign institutions for academic exchange, research and transnational education. Indian institutions will also be encouraged to set-up campuses abroad.

NRF will have 4 major divisions – Science, Technology, Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities- with an aim to catalyse and energise innovation.

HEI will move away from high-stake exams towards continuous and comprehensive evaluation. Standalone institutions such as IITs will become more holistic and multidisciplinary with options for arts and humanities and vice versa. 

School Education Reforms

• The 10+2 structure of school curricula is to be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.
• It will include 12 years of schooling and 3 years of Early Childhood Care Education
• Curriculum and Pedagogy is to be transformed by 2022 to promote skills-based learning and minimize rote learning.
• Board examinations for Grades 10 and 12 will continue but redesigned with a holistic progress card that tracks student progress for achieving learning outcomes.
• A new National Assessment Centre will be set up as a standard-setting body.
• Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, and no rigid separation between academic streams, extracurricular and vocational streams in schools (vocational education will start from Grade 6 with internships).
• A common National Professional Standards for Teachers will be developed.

Key takeaways for International Education sector:

Students will have more flexibility in choosing subjects across streams in high school, which will allow them to apply for varied programs at post-secondary institutions.

Board exams will be a comprehensive report on skills and core competencies in a modular format, and student will get more than one chance to score high marks in Grade 12, which is crucial for their admission in post-secondary programs.

Introduction of a SAT like college test for college entrance. National Testing Agency to conduct common college entrance exams twice a year. Foreign institutions may use the test score for the purpose of admissions, and accepting institutions will have a big advantage in India.

Training and Technology

• A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT.
• By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a four-year integrated B.Ed. degree. Stringent action will be taken against substandard standalone teacher education Institutions.
• A National Mission for Mentoring will be established, with a large pool of outstanding senior/retired faculty who would be willing to provide short and long-term mentoring/professional support to university/college teachers.
• A comprehensive set of recommendations have been included for promoting online education in light of the pandemic to ensure preparedness with alternative modes of quality education whenever and wherever traditional modes of education are not possible.
• An autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum, will be created to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning and administration.

Key takeaways for International Education sector:

New opportunities for organisations working in the area of teacher training and curriculum development.

Institutions and EdTech companies have scope in the area of e-education, digital infrastructure, digital content development and assessment. It seems use of technology in education will open more avenues for big and small entities.