National Education Policy (NEP) 2024: Highlights and Features

The national education policy provides a lot of different aspects of education for the students in India so that they can continue their education without having to worry about the development of their brains. The latest education policy also emphasizes the creative side of the students so that they can develop into well-known individuals. You can check out the specifications related to the National Education Policy 2024 from the article provided below and we will also share with you all the specifications related to the age limit and the features which are available in the National Education Policy. We will also share with you all the principles and the stages that will be followed by the authorities to develop a promising education system in India. 

Importance of National Education Policy
What is Education Policy

Importance of National Education Policy

Education is a very prestigious phenomenon that is present in the world because it helps humans achieve their full potential and develop into a very good human resource for their own country and the world. The National Education Policy which the Indian government presents in the year 2023 reflects the goal of the SDG4 of 2030 agenda for sustainable development which was adopted in India in the year 2015. This policy will also address the various growing development things in our country and it will revamp all of the aspects of the education structure in India. The education policy will emphasize the creative development of a student. Teachers will re-establishes at all levels and quality education will be provided to every student. We developed by taking the global and the local needs of the country into account and respecting diversity and culture.

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Features Of National Education Policy

The following features are included in the national education policy presented by the Indian government:-

  • A National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 will be developed by NCERT in two parts, namely, a sub-framework for 0-3 year-olds, and a sub-framework for 3-8 year-olds, aligned with the above guidelines, the latest research on ECCE, and national and international best practices. In particular, the numerous rich local traditions of India developed over millennia in ECCE involving art, stories, poetry, games, songs, and more will also be suitably incorporated. The framework will serve as a guide both for parents and for early childhood care and education institutions.
  • To ensure that all students are school-ready, an interim 3-month play-base ‘school preparation module’ for all Grade 1 students, consisting of activities and workbooks around the learning of alphabets, sounds, words, colors, shapes, and numbers, and involves collaborations with peers and parents, will develop by NCERT and SCERTs.
  • Due to the scale of the current learning crisis, all viable methods will explore to support teachers in the mission of attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy.
  • The credibility of Government schools shall be re-establish and this will be attained by upgrading and enlarging the schools that already exist, building additional quality schools in areas where they do not exist, and providing safe and practical conveyances and/or hostels, especially for the girl children, so that all children have the opportunity to attend a quality school and learn at the appropriate level.
  • The second is to achieve universal participation in school by carefully tracking students, as well as their learning levels, in order to ensure that they (a) are enrolling in and attending school, and (b) have suitable opportunities to catch up and re-enter school in case they have fallen behind or dropped out.
  • States will be encouraged to develop these offerings in regional languages by establishing new/strengthening existing State Institutes of Open Schooling (SIOS). The requirements for schools will be made less restrictive. 
  • The focus will be to have less emphasis on input and greater emphasis on output potential concerning desired learning outcomes.
  • Efforts will be made to involve the community and alumni in volunteer efforts for enhancing learning by providing at schools: one-on-one tutoring; the teaching of literacy and holding extra help sessions; teaching support and guidance for educators; career guidance and mentoring to students; etc. 
  • Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core essentials, to make space for critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning. 
  • Students will be given increased flexibility and choice of subjects to study, particularly in secondary school – including subjects in physical education, arts and crafts, and vocational skills– so that they can design their paths of study and life plans. Holistic development and a wide choice of subjects and courses year to year will be the new distinguishing features of secondary school education

Principles Of National Education Policy- NEP

The following principles will fulfilled by the national education policy for all of the students who will be continuing their education in India:-

  • recognizing, identifying, and fostering the unique capabilities of each student, by sensitizing teachers as well as parents to promote each student’s holistic development in both academic and non-academic spheres;
  • according to the highest priority to achieving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by all students by Grade 3;
  • flexibility, so that learners can choose their learning trajectories and programmes, and thereby choose their paths in life according to their talents and interests;
  • no hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams, etc. to eliminate harmful hierarchies among, and silos between different areas of learning;
  • multidisciplinarity and a holistic education across the sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, and sports for a multidisciplinary world to ensure the unity and integrity of all knowledge;
  • emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than rote learning and learning-for-exams;
  • creativity and critical thinking to encourage logical decision-making and innovation;
  • ethics and human & Constitutional values like empathy, respect for others, cleanliness, courtesy, democratic spirit, the spirit of service, respect for public property, scientific temper, liberty, responsibility, pluralism, equality, and justice;
  • promoting multilingualism and the power of language in teaching and learning;
  • life skills such as communication, cooperation, teamwork, and resilience;
  • focus on regular formative assessment for learning rather than the summative assessment that encourages today’s ‘coaching culture ’;
  • extensive use of technology in teaching and learning, removing language barriers, increasing access for Divyang students, and educational planning and management;
  • respect for diversity and respect for the local context in all curriculum, pedagogy, and policy, always keeping in mind that education is a concurrent subject;
  • full equity and inclusion as the cornerstone of all educational decisions to ensure that all students are able to thrive in the education system;
  • synergy in curriculum across all levels of education from early childhood care and education to school education to higher education;
  • teachers and faculty as the heart of the learning process – their recruitment, continuous professional development, positive working environments, and service conditions;
  • a ‘light but tight’ regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency, and resources for the efficiency of the educational system through audit and public disclosure while encouraging innovation and out-of-the-box ideas through autonomy, good governance, and empowerment;
  • outstanding research as a corequisite for outstanding education and development;
  • continuous review of progress based on sustained research and regular assessment by educational experts;
  • a rootedness and pride in India, and its rich, diverse, ancient, and modern culture and knowledge systems, and traditions;
  • education is a public service; access to quality education must consider a basic right of every child;
  • substantial investment in a strong, vibrant public education system as well as the encouragement and facilitation of true philanthropic private and community participation.

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Age Limit Under NEP

The applicant must follow the following age range as per the new national education policy:-

  • The age ranges of 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years will opt for respectively.
  • The curricular and pedagogical structure and the curricular framework for school education will therefore guide by a 5+3+3+4 design, consisting of the Foundational Stage (in two parts, that is, 3 years of Anganwadi/pre-school + 2 years in primary school in Grades 1-2; both together covering ages 3-8), Preparatory Stage (Grades 3-5, covering ages 8-11), Middle Stage (Grades 6-8, covering ages 11-14), and Secondary Stage (Grades 9-12 in two phases, i.e., 9 and 10 in the first and 11 and 12 in the second, covering ages 14-18)
Stages Of National Education Policy 

The following stages are available in the national education policy 2024 for all of the students in India:-

  • The Foundational Stage will consist of five years of flexible, multilevel, play/activity-based learning and the curriculum and pedagogy of ECCE. 
  • The Preparatory Stage will comprise three years of education building on the play, discovery, and activity-based pedagogical and curricular style of the Foundational Stage, and will also begin to incorporate some light textbooks as well as aspects of more formal but interactive classroom learning, in order to lay a solid groundwork across subjects, including reading, writing, speaking, physical education, art, languages, science, and mathematics. 
  • The Middle Stage will comprise three years of education, building on the pedagogical and curricular style of the Preparatory Stage, but with the introduction of subject teachers for learning and discussing the more abstract concepts in each subject that students will be ready at this stage across the sciences, mathematics, arts, social sciences, and humanities. Experiential learning within each subject, and explorations of relations among different subjects, will encourage and emphasize despite the introduction of more specialize subjects and subject teachers. 
  • The Secondary Stage will comprise four years of multidisciplinary study, building on the subject-oriented pedagogical and curricular style of the Middle Stage, but with greater depth, greater critical thinking, greater attention to life aspirations, and greater flexibility and student choice of subjects. In particular, students would continue to have the option of exiting after Grade 10 and re-entering in the next phase to pursue vocationally or any other courses available in Grades 11-12, including at a more specialized school, if so desired.
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