New Education Policy

New policy on Education as approved by the Government stresses that a human being is an asset and a precious resource for the whole nation which needs to be cherished. It requires to be developed with dynamism and removal of disparities in a phased manner. For the all-around development of society, it is essential to take effective measures in the direction of the implementation of our new education policy and also the common school education system as recommended long back. The National System of Education envisages a common educational structure. The common core of the national curricular framework has to include contents related to national integrity and identity including our freedom struggle years and constitutional obligations.

The new policy envisages the promotion of values such as India’s common cultural heritage, democracy, and secularism, protection, and preservation of our environment, removal of any type of social barriers, and follow the message of small family norms. The youth requires to be motivated towards peaceful co-existence and international co-operation and make them understand education as a unique investment for present and future. The status of women needs to be changed with the basic tool of educating the masses. The top-most priority maybe the increase in the literacy level of women in our country. At all stages and levels of education, the scheduled castes are to be given equal status as per our new policy. Lots of measures are required to be taken to bring the scheduled tribes at par with other general fellows. It is observed that many minority groups are educationally deprived and remain backward in the race of society.

The new education policy attempts to promote the integration of the physically and mentally handicapped with the general community as equal partners. An important place has been given to Adult Education. Through various programs of adult education, it should be taken as a duty by each literate person towards the nation, to eradicate illiteracy in the age group above 30. There needs to be introduced systematic, well-planned, and greater vocational education programs as per new policy on the spread of education. Further, proper child development is possible only through the Integrated Child Development Services program on high priority. For school drop-outs, a massive educational program on nonformal education is required to be launched all over the country. However, access to secondary education can be widened to areas unserved, later on, in the second phase. Universal enrolment and universal retention of children up to 14 years of age are to be emphasized under the new education policy.

Under the new policy on education, urgent steps will be taken to protect the system from degradation. Research in the universities and various colleges will be enhanced through more support and more steps to ensure its higher quality, India’s ancient knowledge will be developed so as to relate it to contemporary reality.

The jobs and degrees are to be delinked only in services where the basic qualification need not be a university degree. There is a need to start more Open University systems. Mahatma Gandhi’s revolutionary ideas on education must be developed and the revised pattern of the rural university should be consolidated. Steps will be taken to promote efficiency and effectiveness at all levels of technical and management education Professional education should encourage a minimum orientation in computers and training in their use.

The new policy on education aims to make the system of imparting knowledge a more forceful tool for the cultivation of moral, social, and ethical values. A high priority would be to introduce discipline in the implementation of the new education system. To eliminate the element of chance and subjectivity in our examination system, the evaluation system, as well as the mode of conducting examinations needs to undergo a lot of structural changes in the new education policy. Further, efficient management is a high need to entail the functioning of an All India Education Service.

Under the new education policy, hundreds of Navodaya Vidalayas have been started all over the country to implement provisions of the policy in a phased manner. The adult education programs have been energized through the establishment of the National Literacy Mission Authority. And more interestingly, vocational courses are being offered at secondary level and have got good response from thousands of students from all walks of life.

The National Education Policy was announced by the Government on May 7, 1992, under which it is proposed to universalize elementary education through a national mission by the year 2000. In the light of success so far in the spread of adult education, there are plans to redraft the adult literacy program and set up an autonomous commission for Sanskrit and other classical languages. Before the year 2000 A.D., compulsory education for all children up to 14 years of age is to be achieved through a national mission.

It has also been proposed under a new policy that 25 percent of higher secondary students should have vocational courses. Steps would be taken to ensure that most of the vocational students get self-employed or get employment soon after completing their studies. The setting up of educational tribunals has been proposed so that grievances at both state and national levels can be redressed faster and to satisfaction. The Board of Secondary Education will be reorganized and vested with improvement in the ratio of teachers to students so that students get better and more attention and guidance and become good citizens of the country.