NEP 2020 Study: Challenges, Approaches Changes, Opportunities, and Criticism

After the education policies of 1968 and 1986 from previous governments, the New Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Government appears ambitious to overhaul the higher education system in India. Like Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh, certain governments have already begun the process of adopting the policy in their universities' higher education systems and setting the bar as examples. Some states, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, to name a few, are demonstrating resistance. In the field of education, a change comparable to this last occurred in 1986. In order to thrive in this dynamic world, anything must be able to change with the situation. The same is true for education; due to evolving information and communication technology (ICT) and industry requirements, our approach to learning must evolve. Additionally, the total system has undergone a paradigm shift as a result of the fast evolving worldwide situation in education. It was crucial that India keep up with this transition, and NEP 2020 has made efforts to improve the Indian educational system in this direction. Because it only uses secondary data sources, the study is entirely qualitative.


INTRODUCTION
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) will implement large and ambitious changes that have the potential to totally transform the country's educational system.As a result, the Indian educational system will experience dramatic changes.NEP 2020's vision is to make India a superpower in the realm of knowledge by establishing a world-class education system based on Indian values and in compliance with the principles discussed below.Sankalp and Sawant (2002).India, a developing liberal nation for educational reforms, has 40,000 higher education institutions (HIEs), which reflects the country's high general fragmentation and the significant number of smaller HEIs that are connected to big universities.India is anticipated to have the third-largest economy in the world by 2030-2022, with an estimated $10 trillion in GDP.It is obvious that the 10 trillion dollar economy will be driven by those intellectual resources rather than the country's natural resources.In order to promote the sector's growth, the present administration decided to restructure the Indian educational system and released the comprehensive National Education Policy 2020.(2021; Venkateshwarlu).

OBJECTIVES
The following are the article's objectives: 1.To become familiar with the key ideas of NEP 2020 2. Evaluation of the NEP of 1986 in comparison to the NEP of 2020.3. To research the adjustments that will be made in this Policy's implementation.4. A few suggestions for the next step to improve NEP 2020's efficacy

METHODOLOGY
The nature of this study is descriptive.A variety of websites, including those owned by the Indian government, magazines, journals, and other publications were consulted to find the necessary secondary data.This data was then assessed and studied in order to make assumptions and come to conclusions.

The NEP 2020 issues
• Early student streamlining into several areas.
• Limited access to higher education, particularly in socioeconomically challenged areas, which contributed to the current GER of barely 25%.• Lack of autonomy for institutions and teachers to innovate in higher education and draw in large numbers of students.• A lack of systems for managing academic and institutional leaders' careers and advancing them.
• The majority of colleges and universities lack both research and innovation.
• Inadequate levels of leadership and governance at institutions of higher learning.
• A compromised regulatory framework that restrains good, cutting-edge universities while allowing phony colleges to flourish.

Approaches of NEP 2020 1. Curriculum and Content
NEP 2020's strategies include the following: 1. Curriculum and Content The NEP aims to transition from the 10+2 structure to the 5+3+3+4 framework, where early childhood education will be integrated with formal education.The NEP 2020 also emphasizes trimming back the curriculum's material to allow room for critical thinking, which will help people build 21st-century skills.Therefore, in order to achieve these objectives, the entire curriculum and pedagogy must be redesigned.Modifying the curriculum to align with the National Curriculum Framework is one of the difficulties in properly implementing these changes.
The learning content rubric needs to be reconsidered by educators, and the textbooks should be changed accordingly.

Training and availability of teachers
The school curriculum will be changed, according to the policy.To ensure a smooth transition to the new educational system, schools and the relevant authorities must train teachers and grasp the pedagogical requirements in order to effectively deliver the curriculum.Additionally, in order to develop in young people collaborative skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving and decision-making abilities, the emphasis needs to be shifted from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning.According to a study, India's K-12 student population is expected to reach over 250 million by 2030.As a result, we will require about 7 million additional instructors to adequately serve this growing student body.Experiential learning and concept-oriented instruction will be beneficial because teaching is one of the lowest-paid professions in India.It will be difficult to combine experiential learning with concept-based instruction.The NEP 2020 will be difficult to implement until the teacher compensation is changed.It will be difficult to combine experiential learning with concept-based instruction.The NEP 2020 will be difficult to implement until the teacher compensation is changed.

Technology
The NEP 2020 places a strong emphasis on utilizing technology to prepare young people for the future.But because the majority of schools aren't properly set up to accommodate these tools, establishing digital infrastructure such as digital classrooms, remote expertise-driven teaching models, AR/VR tools to bridge gaps in physical education, and laboratory infrastructure is a significant problem.Also, not all schools in the nation may be able to afford the cost of developing digital infrastructure.Deploying digital learning tools is also impossible in remote sections of the country where Internet connectivity is almost nonexistent.Therefore, the government ought to focus on enhancing the fundamental infrastructure that will sustain the digital infrastructure everywhere.

Exam Organization
Instead of emphasizing summative evaluation, the NEP emphasizes formative evaluation for learning.The continual tracking of learning outcomes is the main driver behind modifying the evaluation method.However, ongoing assessment necessitates the employment of creative evaluation strategies and assignments by educators.These methods necessitate the use of technology and the participation of both teachers and students.In India, there are 1.5 million schools, and 75% of them are run by the government, according to a survey.Nearly 80% of the 400,000 existing private schools are "budget private schools."Consequently, implementing a continuous assessment framework in these institutions is a difficult undertaking.

A COMPARISON OF THE 1986 NEP AND THE 2020 NEP
In order to enhance education at all economic levels, the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi unveiled a new national policy in 1986.No matter a person's caste (scheduled castes, scheduled tribes), gender (mostly women), or socioeconomic status, the accepted policy is recognized for putting "Special Emphasis on the Elimination of Inequalities and to Sexualize the Educational Opportunity."The program promoted the increase of grants, subsidies, allowances, adult education, and a number of other initiatives to promote social integration.Particularly in primary education, this NPE is recognized for its "child-centered approach," and as a result, it introduced "Operation Blackboard," a widely acclaimed educational reform.
The objective was to construct elementary schools all around the country.The system of open and distance learning institutions was expanded by the establishment of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 1985.This policy is in line with Mahatma Gandhi's worldview, which advocates for grassroots social and economic development in rural India (Govt. of India, 1986).The NEP 2020 was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji and focuses on: A new vision for vocational education; creating the regulatory framework to support excellent scholarly research in all fields; preventing the commercialization of education; effective leadership and management in higher education; Globalization in professional education includes supporting Indian arts, languages, and civilizations.2020's Kaurav, Suresh, Narula, & Baber.• Email: editor@ijfmr.comIJFMR23056902 Volume 5, Issue 5, September-October 2023 4

New Education Policy: Significant Changes
The following are some of the significant adjustments made by the New Education Policy: • By 2030, all institutions of higher learning will be multidisciplinary and at least 300 students will be enrolled in each.There should be at least one significant, multidisciplinary HEI in or near each district by 2030.By 2035, the GER in higher education, including vocational education, is to rise from 26.3% (as of 2018) to 50%.• All colleges and universities must provide courses in music, art, and literature.
• The M.Phil.programmed will end.• It's time for higher education to adopt the three-language formula and for Sanskrit to become more widely used in the classroom.• •By the time they finish their education, every student will have received instruction in a vocational s kill of their choice.Coding lessons will begin in sixth grade for the students.• Beginning in the sixth grade, applicants will be required to complete 10day internships with local businesses.• •According to the New Education Policy, IITs must adopt a more holistic approach and diverse curri culum that emphasizes the arts and humanities more.
•The gained academic credits will be digitally stored in an Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), which will be established.
•If the student successfully completes a challenging research project within the designated time fram e, the 4-year course may also result in a degree "with Research.• The 5+3+3+4 format will be used to divide the 10+2 system.It means that classes 1 and 2 and three years of pre-primary school will make up the foundation stage over the first five years of the school.Classes 3 to 5 will make up the preparatory stage for the following three years, followed by classes 6 to 8 for the next three years, and classes 9 to 12 for the final four.Students can enroll in any classes they wish because there is no set structure in place in schools for the streams of science, business, and the arts.• A National Education Technology Forum (NETF) will be established to accelerate digital learning, and e-courses in 8 regional languages will be uploaded there.To set up the campuses, they will receive specific permission and rules.• A multiple entry/exit system will be implemented in the higher education sector with the aid of the a cademic bank of credit.
Students will be able to take a break from their studies and then resume them later on without losing any credits thanks to this.Additionally, students will be permitted to select their degree's main and minor topics.• To welcome international students, each university will maintain an office for international students.
Colleges will be encouraged to offer top-notch instruction at reasonable prices.• •Top 100 Foreign Colleges would be permitted, in accordance with NEP, to establish campuses in In dia.Special rules and exemptions.• Instead of being 4% of GDP as it was previously, the expenditure on education will now be 6% of GDP.The State and the Central Governments will collaborate on the expense.

CRITICISM
Here is a list of complaints that have been made about or could be made about the NEP 2020.The NEP avoided parliamentary review, debate, and oversight.This is a somewhat rushed approach given that it has been proposed at a time when parliament is not in session because to COVID-19.This appears to be a political argument being made.Additionally, this is not the first time it has occurred.In the previous six years, members of parliament have frequently been excluded from important conversations, preventing them from critically analyzing policies, voicing their opinions, and offering amendments.The policy, which glosses over important issues of access to education that have long existed, is a vision document that fails to include the lowest strata of society and offers the unfortunate women, caste, and religious minority little to no relief.To carry out this enormous ambition, there is no thorough roadmap or logical execution strategy in place.The execution of this plan will require a number of milestones and a financial commitment that are not entirely known.Consider the following sentence: "The Center and the States will collaborate to increase public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest."There is no unambiguous promise that can make the government answerable.Some suggestions that can help with the successful implementation of NEP include: • Adequate awareness should be created among all the stakeholders involved in the Policy's successful implantation; and • Improving the coordination between the Center government, States, and Local bodies.
• The successful implementation of the policy will also depend on timely feedback from parents, students, and the business community.• More attention should be paid to teacher training and equipping them with the necessary skills.The pupils are in agreement.• To this idea a clear winner for enhancing India's entire educational environment, more funding should be allocated to education.

Conclusion:
The NEP 2020 document has been viewed as having great potential to bring about paradigm shifts in the nation's overall educational system.The law of nature is that things change, thus it's critical to adapt to a shifting environment.The outdated educational framework and methods are no longer applicable in the contemporary world.For instance, we saw during COVID-19 how crucial it is to make ICT an active part of teaching and learning, and how we, as a nation, need to equip our students and teachers to gain this ability in order to make the overall learning process more engaging and satisfying.Keeping up with the outmoded educational system is pointless now.The Indian government will need to make significant adjustments to the higher education curricula to meet the demand for qualified workers around the world.NEP 2020 implementation would be extremely difficult as a result.Overall, NEP 2020 is a very forwardthinking text with a solid understanding of the socioeconomic environment now and the potential to address difficulties in the future.