The education landscape in India is evolving at a phenomenal pace. According to the India Skills Report 2019-20, around 53% of people are unemployable for modern-day jobs. Therefore, revamping education in the country is the need of the hour to meet the requirement of the ever-changing business environment.
Rolled out almost after 34 years, the New Education Policy is designed to bring overhaul changes in the existing education policy. With an aim to provide complete development, technology and innovation, the Government of India recently unveiled the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP). The policy is expected to revive the education system of India.
The NEP aims to provide students with the necessary skills by improving the institution of schools and higher education programmes. It has tremendous potential to make a country knowledge superpower. The NEP 2020 is an India-centric education system that intents to transform our nation into an equitable and vibrant society by offering high-quality education to all.
The policy will enact several changes in the country’s education policy. According to studies, children pick up languages quickly between the ages group of 2-8. This multilingualism can have significant benefits as these kids will be exposed to different languages from foundation stage. The policy is designed to make sure that all the languages are taught interactively. Also, there will be a significant requirement for language teachers across the country, providing employment to many.
The NEP’s key feature is to make home language, regional language or mother tongue a medium of instruction up to Class 5. It can lead to a long-term impact on nation-building, as imparting education in the local language is likely to bring a drastic change in human resource development. Learning a regional language allows students to overcome the sudden disconnect with their mother tongue when they enter school. Less knowledge about the mother tongue can lead to detachment from society and result in avoiding human values and emotions.
Moreover, leaning the local language will help future generations to forge a relationship with their own social and cultural fabric. It will also allow students to understand their social practices and identities. Besides, it can also keep a check on the process of weakening of their own self, which starts when students are sent to school and suddenly thrown into learning the English language. Further, the latest education policy will reduce the possibility of political leaders to play with the politics of language.
Apart from that, the New Education Policy will also contribute to our vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. The policy focuses on primary and secondary education, which will further strengthen social work and human agency relations. The person who is connected to one’s mother tongue is more aware of using locally manufactured products.
In fact, in order to reach to a point where we can become Atmanirbhar Bharat, we must work on bringing awareness amongst of the local economy and appreciating culture and society that is achievable by forging relationships in our own language. Therefore, the NEP, if realised well, has an unlimited potential to contribute towards making our nation self-reliant.