Prabhat Kishore
Education is a fundamental requirement for the development of an egalitarian society. In this context, we have three National Education Policies, namely NEP 1968, NEP 1986 and NEP 2020 have been introduced in India so far. The new NEP 2020, adopted on 29th July 2020, aims to universalize education from pre-school to secondary level by 2030. It envisions an India-centric education system and provision of quality education and equitable access to all students in a sustainable manner. There are ten themes aligned with the policy objectives of the NEP 2020.
Early Childhood Care and Education : The Foundation of learning – Early child development encompasses physical, socio-emotional and cognitive development between 0-8 years of age. The early years of the learners are critical, as it is the period of life when the brain develops most rapidly and has a high capacity for change, and the foundation is laid for health and well-being for life. The NEP states that, the overarching goal will be to ensure universal access to high quality Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) across the country. Special attention and priority will be given to the territories that are particularly socio-economically way behind ECCE shall be delivered through a significantly expanded and strengthened system of early-childhood education institutions consisting of (a) stand-alone Anganwadis, (b) Anganwadies co-located with primary schools, (c) pre-primary schools/sections covering at least age 5 to 6 years co-located with existing primary schools, and (d) stand-alone pre-schools- all of which would recruit workers/teachers specially trained in the curriculum and pedagogy of ECCE.
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy : An urgent and necessary Prerequisite to Learning – The ability to read and write, and perform basic operations with numbers, is a necessary foundation and an indispensable prerequisite for all future schooling and lifelong…