News
Central and State Governments Drive NEP 2020 Implementation Initiatives
In the realm of School Education, a range of initiatives has been implemented, including the PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) for the improvement of schools. A total of 6448 schools were carefully chosen, with Rs. 630.11 crore disbursed to 6207 PM SHRI schools in 27 States/UTs, along with KVS/NVS, as the initial installment. Other notable initiatives include the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat), Vidya-Pravesh–School Preparation Module, PM e-VIDYA for digital/online/on-air education, DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF FS), Jadui Pitara for children aged 3 to 8 years, National Curriculum Framework for School Education, and NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement) 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0—an Integrated Teacher Training Programme catering to different stages of school education. The National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) is also making strides, with 1500+ Micro courses, 5 billion+ Learning sessions, 12 billion+ QR codes, 20K+ ecosystem participants, and ongoing 15K+ Micro improvements across various linked building blocks. Additionally, the “New India Literacy Programme or ULLAS” targets non-literates aged 15 years and above.
The Samagra Shiksha Scheme aligns fully with the recommendations of NEP 2020, boasting a total financial outlay of Rs. 2,94,283.04 crore, including a Central share of Rs. 1,85,398.32 crore. Furthermore, the PM Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojna has been brought in line with the recommendations of NEP 2020.
The establishment of the National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), aims to set norms, standards, and guidelines, and implement activities related to student assessment.
A new policy on the weight of school bags, with a focus on reduction, has been distributed to States/UTs.
The introduction of the 4-year Integrated Teacher Education Program has seen recognition granted to 42 institutions, including IITs, NITs, RIEs, IGNOU, and Government Colleges for the Academic Session 2023-24.
The National Mission for Mentoring (NMM) has been introduced to create a significant pool of outstanding professionals willing to mentor school teachers. Currently being piloted in 30 Central schools, the school volunteer management program, Vidyanjali, aims to strengthen Government and Government-aided schools through community and private sector involvement nationwide. To date, 671512 Govt. and Govt-aided schools have been onboarded, and 443539 volunteers have registered on the Vidyanjali Portal.
In Higher Education, various initiatives and reforms have been implemented for the execution of NEP 2020. Embracing learner-centric education, the National Credit Framework (NCrF), National Higher Education Qualification Framework, Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), and multiple entry/exit options have been introduced. Currently, 1667 Universities/INIs/HEIs are on board on the ABC portal, with 2.75 Crore students registered. In a bid to ensure access to high-quality education with equity and inclusion, courses are now offered in Indian Languages, and entrance exams like JEE, NEET, and CUET are conducted in 13 Indian languages. Additionally, 100 books for UG students on various subjects have been launched in 12 Indian Languages, and 20 Technical books of the first year have been translated into Indian Languages.
To promote digital learning through technology, 95 Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) are offering 1149 ODL programs, and 66 HEIs are offering 371 online programs. Over 19 lakh students are availing these facilities. Furthering multi-disciplinary education and flexibility, around 295 Universities have adopted SWAYAM regulations, permitting learners to avail of up to 40% credit courses from the SWAYAM platform. Over 9 lakh students earn SWAYAM certificates through a proctored exam annually, which can be utilized for credit transfer by the university in which the student is enrolled. The Technology-enabled Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) based Solutions for Governance of HEIs, known as Smarter Automation Engine for Universities (SAMARTH), is extensively used by around 2700 Universities & HEIs, covering 32 States / UTs. Additionally, 7 State Higher Education Departments are also on board.
To enable HEIs to collaborate with industry experts in developing courses and curricula to meet industry and societal needs, initiatives such as Guidelines on Professor of Practice have been introduced. MoUs with Cisco/IBM/Meta/Adobe/Microsoft/Salesforce etc. have been signed to create industry-aligned courses, offering Apprenticeship/Internship Degree Programmes by HEIs. A single unified online portal for internships with a total registration of around 10560 HEIs and 73383 industries has been established. For the promotion of research and innovation, around 7568 Institutions’ Innovation Councils and 104 Idea Development, Evaluation, and Application Labs (IDEA) have been set up.
To promote internationalization, regulations on setting up and operating campuses of foreign Higher Education Institutions in India have been issued. MOUs have been signed for the establishment of campuses of IIT Madras in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and IIT Delhi in Abu Dhabi. Classes have commenced at the IIT Madras campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Guidelines for Training/Orientation of Faculty on Indian Knowledge System (IKS), Empanelment of Artists/Artisans––Residence in Higher Educational Institutions, Introduction of courses based on Indian heritage and culture, Incorporating Indian Knowledge in Higher Education Curricula, and Translation of books into Indian languages have been issued. More than 8000 HEIs have started adopting IKS into their curriculum.
The National Credit Framework, jointly developed by the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), National Council for Vocational Education & Training (NCVET), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), National Council of Education, Research & Training (NCERT), Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Education (MoE), and b is a comprehensive credit framework encompassing elementary, school, higher, and vocational education and training. It incorporates creolization of various dimensions of learning, including academics, vocational skills, and experiential learning, providing broad-based multi-disciplinary/inter-disciplinary, holistic education with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, multiple pathways, establishing equivalence, and facilitating national and international mobility.