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New Education Policy

Source: Dawn


From the highlights available so far, the New Education Policy 2020 [NEP2020] seems to be well-meaning. There are certain changes that are very much needed. For example, it seeks to make school education more pragmatic and career-oriented by introducing vocational education from grade 6 with internship. It will certainly help a lot of students to find jobs much earlier than the present system does.

The objective of NEP2020 to foster “holistic development of learners by equipping them with 21st century skills, reduction in curricular content to enhance essential learning and critical thinking and greater focus on experiential learning” can also work wonders if properly implemented. 

The existing system lays undue stress on rote learning and mere reproduction of that memorised knowledge without any creative and critical thinking. This system does not take the students beyond the most fundamental objectives of education: acquisition of basic knowledge. In other words, it does not encourage critical thinking, questioning, creativity, analysis and synthesis. It creates citizens who will merely toe the lines drawn by various authorities: governments, powerful political parties, religions, and so on.

Will NEP2020 take students beyond that to new horizons? Will it really shape students who question intelligently, think creatively, and beat new tracks? Or is it going to be just another glittering façade with little beyond the superficial glitter? After all, this government is notorious for giving us such facades: the Statue of Unity, for example.

If you read into the document, you have reasons to be sceptical. “The vision of the policy is to instil among the learners a deep-rooted pride in being Indian, not only in thought, but also in spirit, intellect, and deeds, as well as to develop knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions that support responsible commitment to human rights, sustainable development and living, and global well-being, thereby reflecting a truly global citizen.” Isn’t there some self-contradiction there? You have to be Indian in thought, spirit, intellect, and deeds and global citizen in knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions!

Well, we need roots in our own soil before we can spread the branches into the neighbourhood skies. That’d be fine indeed if it were not a BJP government – particularly one led by a person like Mr Narendra Modi – that was presenting this policy.

The problem has seldom been with policies. It is not the principles of socialism that undermined socialist governments; it is the misuse of the system. The same is true with every system including capitalism (in spite of its individualism and competitive spirit) and religions. We human beings bring all our greed and selfishness and envy and all other possible vices into the system, however wonderful the system is. And the system collapses sooner than later.

When you have a leader whose track history is soaked in blood and vengeance with an equal measure of chicanery, you can’t expect a policy to be as sublime as it sounds through the loudspeaker. The leader makes most of the difference.

NEP2020 seeks to sideline English altogether subtly and not so subtly. Education is to be in mother tongue up to grade 5, then “preferably till grade 8 and beyond”, and also in “more higher education institutions.” Sanskrit will be an option made available to students “at all levels”.

At the same time, NEP2020 seeks to bring “top world ranked universities” to India. Well, we don’t suppose that top world universities are going to give Indians instruction in the latter’s mother tongues or in Sanskrit.

Given Mr Modi’s grandiose visions, it is probable that he imagines Sanskrit towering above all and becoming a global language in his lifetime itself and India becoming the global superpower dishing out Ayurvedic concoctions as panacea for all evils. Is there that undercurrent too in NEP2020? I am not sure. I have only got the highlights so far though that is a pretty long document which throws ample light into the spirit of the policy. I can almost imagine Mr Modi standing on the Himalayas and looking with pride at the Akhand Bharat stretching beyond the Alps. Some policies are indeed grandiose.

Comments

  1. A Hundred QuillsJuly 30, 2020 at 11:05 AM

    I would like to be hopeful about NEP 2020. I think the bit about English being done and dusted away is largely misconstrued. I read an entire piece in the Mint on how it doesn't mean English is going away. But I understand your scepticism too keeping the present government's notorious image. Nonetheless, I'm only hoping that this will end the much hyped competitive and capitalistic system we have had, from the pov of students and work in favour of the fishes who would not be judged by their ability to climb trees. Rest, we can only wait and watch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 30, 2020 at 11:11 AM

      It won't be easy to do away with English simply because it remains the only language that has managed to spread all over the world so far. Mr Modi's love for Sanskrit is not shared even by Indians except in emotional displays. I taught in a school in Delhi for a decade and a half and Sanskrit was an optional subject there up to grade 10. Most students who opted for it did so because it was too easy to score marks with very little effort (and less knowledge :) )That's what Indians are when it comes to learning what's not really useful for life.

      As I said in the post, the new policy sounds good. If only we make it work!

      Delete
    2. A Hundred QuillsJuly 30, 2020 at 9:46 PM

      Totally. It's wait and watch. I don't know how many glitches have they catered for, because there are going to be many.

      Delete
  2. DashyAugust 1, 2020 at 10:58 AM

    I'm highly skeptical about the implementation too, but atleast it's a start I guess. As for local languages being the medium of study, it is pretty impractical for central schools and the like too. Wonder how that'll work out.

    ReplyDelete

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