National Education Policy 2020

The National Education Policy 2020 is India’s framework for reforming education from early childhood through higher education. Guided by access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability, it seeks holistic learning, constitutional values, cultural rootedness and an equitable knowledge society.

Universal access and quality learning

The policy seeks equitable educational opportunity, with special attention to socio-economically disadvantaged groups, children with disabilities and educationally deprived regions.

• It seeks universal quality early childhood care and education and adopts the 5+3+3+4 curricular structure for schooling.
• It gives the highest priority to foundational literacy and numeracy as prerequisites for further learning.
• The home language or mother tongue is preferred as the medium of instruction, wherever possible, at least until Grade 5.
• It seeks universal access to school education and a higher education gross enrolment ratio of 50 per cent by 2035.
• Quality reforms remove rigid stream divisions and promote conceptual learning, competency-based assessment, teacher preparation, professional development, vocational exposure and appropriate technology.

Undergraduate education structure

Undergraduate education is envisaged as flexible, multidisciplinary and oriented towards holistic development rather than narrow disciplinary specialisation.

• An undergraduate degree may last three or four years, but the four-year multidisciplinary bachelor’s programme is the preferred option.
• Multiple exit options provide a certificate after one year, a diploma after two years and a bachelor’s degree after three years.
• A four-year programme may award a degree with Research when the student completes a rigorous research project in the chosen major.
• Flexible curricula permit creative combinations of disciplines, majors and minors, vocational courses and internships; an Academic Bank of Credit facilitates credit accumulation and transfer.

Higher education institutions and governance

The policy envisages large multidisciplinary institutions with greater autonomy, academic mobility and accountability.

• The proposed National Research Foundation is intended to strengthen research across disciplines.
• It seeks transparent regulation, independent accreditation and greater institutional autonomy with public accountability.
• The Centre and states are expected to work towards public investment in education reaching 6 per cent of GDP.