“By education, I mean an all-round drawing of the best in child and man in body, mind and spirit.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
Education is one of the most vital pillar which leads to a strong nation. The quality of education and implementation of policies related to education can lead to a country’s progress at a tremendous pace. Mahatma Gandhi, as quoted above, rightly emphasizes that education is not just mere distribution of knowledge but far more than that. Education should be such that it leads to a holistic and all-round development of an individual. The thoughtful policy makers of India have taken this idea forward by introducing the New Educational Policy (NEP).
Focus of NEP
The focus of the new National Education Policy (NEP) will be on the following: –
1. Girls’ education
2. Strengthening public institutions with a thrust on traditional knowledge
3. Special attention on language
4. Sports and mathematics at the school level
5. Addressing regional inequality
“Modern Education Policy” of the government: –
The existing NEP was framed in 1986 and revised in 1992. The new policy is getting shaped in Bengaluru as the technical secretariat for the policy drafting committee has been set up in the office of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The new policy is focused on doing away with inequality in education.
In the near future, school education will undergo drastic changes wherein extra-curricular or co-curricular activities would be treated as subjects in themselves. The government is affirming on affordable and accessible education for all.
Aims and objectives: –
1. Aims to make stringent laws and regulations for private players in education such as private institutions as well as private coaching by discouraging commercialization of education.
2. Focuses on setting up higher educational institutions in regions where they are lacking.
The NEP is likely to come into force from April 2019 and the government is pushing for the policy which could prove to be a turning point for the education sector in India. The deadline for the Millennium Development Goals is fast approaching. We have a responsibility to make sure we fulfill the promise we made at the beginning of the millennium to ensure better education and develop our learners into responsible and accountable individuals.
