NEW DELHI: The Union education ministry has urged teachers across India to suggest ways to implement the recently approved National Education Policy, 2020.
The ministry has introduced a list of questions through which the teachers have been asked to submit their inputs related to school education. In this regard, a letter was sent by school education secretary Anita Karwal to all states.
“To simplify the process for the teachers, the suggestions are being called on each theme of the NEP 2020 related to school education...through a question-answer process. The questions are framed in such a manner that teachers can relate to them from their experience as teachers and classroom transactions,” an official statement by the government said.
“Each question also gives reference to the paragraphs of NEP 2020 to which refers to, to enable the teacher to read the same for better understanding of the policy, before uploading suggestions,”it added.
The submitted suggestions will be reviewed by a team of experts from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Many experts while hailing the broad contours in the policy have said that implementation of many projects--as proposed--could be tedious and even difficult.
“Though suggestions are being called in a limited words format, however, for gathering further information, if required, teachers whose suggestions are found useful for incorporating in National Curriculum Framework or in the implementation plan, shall be individually contacted,” said the education ministry.
Through the NEP, the government has proposed some sweeping changes in the school education sector that includes providing early childhood education to young kids through anganwadis and restructuring of the extant 10+2 structure to 5+3+3+4 structure covering ages 3-18.
The NEP also says that students will have increased flexibility and choice of subjects - there will be no rigid separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extracurricular activities or between vocational and academic streams.
Vocational education will start in schools from the 6th grade, and will include internships and the policy has emphasized mother tongue or regional language as the medium of instruction at least till Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond.