After 34 years, the education policy of India has been changed and revised, bringing about some massive changes in the structure of education and the pattern of exams. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has seen several changes from the school to the college level of Indian education.
However, the long NEP 2020 draft might be consuming and difficult of comprehension for the layman. So here, we have simplified the changes and made a list of the changes the current education policy will bring.
| What was there in the old system | What will be there in the new system |
| India spends just 3.4% of its GDP on education currently. | The NEP 2020 will change the current 10+2 structure to a 5+3+3+4 structure. |
| The Gross Enrollment Ratio in India for the year 2018- 2019 was 26.3%. | The Ministry of Education targets to get the Gross Enrollment Ratio to 50% by 2035. |
| The current schooling structure of India is 10+2. | The NEP 2020 will change the current 10+2 structure to 5+3+3+4 structure. |
| The current education system in India has a Bachelor’s program (for the majority of the courses) of 3 years and the Master’s program (for the majority of the courses) is of 2 years. Students can pursue M.Phil before applying for a Ph.D. | The current education system in India has a Bachelor’s program (for majority of the courses) of 3 years and the Master’s program (for majority of the courses) is of 2 years. Students can pursue M.Phil before applying for a PhD. |
| Separate entrance tests are held for admissions to different institutes of higher education in India currently. | The NTA will conduct a common entrance exam for admission to all Universities across India (something similar to the SAT exam of USA). |
| Medium of instruction currently depends upon the administration of individual schools. | The medium of instruction at least till the 5th standard, preferably till grade 8 and beyond, will be the local language/ regional language/ mother tongue of students. |
| Vocational courses are available at certain colleges only and after schooling, students could choose to enroll in them. | Vocational education has been made compulsory and by 2025, at least 50% students would have exposure to vocational education through schooling or institutes of higher education. |
| In general colleges, streams like humanities and arts were optional and students would choose to enroll in them. | Engineering institutes like the IITs would shift towards more holistic and multi-disciplinary education with humanities and arts streams. |
| Coding was introduced only after the 10th grade and it depended on the syllabus followed and the board of education. | Students, from the 6th standard, will be allowed to take up coding as a subject. |
| Depending on the educational board, students had fixed subjects and combinations for study and exams. | Students are allowed to choose any subject as per their interest, in their board exam. |
So tell us in the comments below, what are the merits or demerits of the NEP 2020 according to you.
