Lok Sabha Question No. 1197 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-06
Subject: National Education Policy, 2020
Ministry: Education
Asked by: DNV Senthilkumar. S.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1197 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.12.2021

## National Education Policy, 2020

## 1197.  DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR. S.:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  National  Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020  promotes  the  federal  principles  and balances the regional aspiration which differs from State to State;

(b) if so, whether the State Governments can alter NEP to suit their specific needs according to their sociopolitical background;

(c)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  measures  taken  or  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the Government in NEP to improve Gross Enrollment Ratio in all levels of education and target set for the same;

(d) whether any State has achieved the target set in NEP, if so, the details thereof and the manner in which the future aspirations of that State is satisfied in NEP;

(e)  the  details  of  the  roles  of  Union  Government  and  State  Governments  given  in  the  NEP  for creating  institution  and  resources  for  educational  development  and  the  mechanism  adopted  to check and balance the executive action; and

(f)  the  steps  taken  or  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  social  justice  in implementing NEP by making the education accessible and affordable?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a)  to  (c):  The  National  Education  Policy,  2020  (NEP  2020)  has  been  finalised  after  detailed consultation  process  with  all  stakeholders  including  State/UT  Governments,  followed  by  the approval of Union Cabinet. Implementation of the spirit and intent of the Policy is the most critical matter.  Comprehensiveness  in  implementation  will  be  key;  as  this  Policy  is  interconnected  and holistic,  which  ensure  that  the  desired  objectives  are  achieved.  Since  education  is  a  concurrent subject, it needs careful planning, joint monitoring, and collaborative implementation between the Centre and States. Accordingly, Ministry has written to all its implementing agencies, regulatory bodies, State/UT Governments, other stakeholder Ministries/Departments, etc for taking steps for implementation of NEP 2020.

National Education Policy 2020 proposes various measures to improve Gross Enrollment Ratio at  all  levels  of  education  such  as  providing  universal  access  and  opportunity  to  all  children, effective  and  sufficient  infrastructure,  safe  conveyances  and  hostels,  especially  for  the  girl children,  children  who  are  dropping  out  of  school  are  brought  back  into  mainstream  education, enhancing access by establishing  more  high-quality  HEIs  in  aspirational  districts,  integration  of vocational Education with School and Higher Education, Scholarship / Fellowships for SEDGs/Girls/Divyangs, etc. In the Policy, targets have been set to achieve 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio in preschool to secondary level by 2030 and 50% in higher education by 2035.

(d): Improving the quality of education across all levels from primary to university level is a continuous and ongoing process. The policy provides different timelines as well as principles and methodology for its implementation. A series of workshops/VCs have been held with States/UTs to  discuss  innovative  ideas  for  NEP  implementation.  States/UT  Governments  have  also  started taking initiatives towards implementation of NEP 2020.

(e): Roles of Government of India and State / UT Governments have been clearly indicated in the  NEP  2020  such  as  overall  monitoring  and  policymaking  for  continual  improvement  of  the public  education  system;  educational  operations  and  service  provision  for  the  public  schooling system; effective quality self-regulation or accreditation system for all stages of education; setting up of State School Standards Authority (SSSA); transparent public self-disclosure of all the basic regulatory information; setting up of large, multidisciplinary universities and colleges, with at least one  in  or  near  every  district;  faculty  and  institutional  autonomy;  establishment  of  National Research Foundation; governance of HEIs by high qualified independent boards; 'light but tight' regulation by a single regulator for higher education; scholarships to disadvantaged and underprivileged students; online education, and Open Distance Learning (ODL); and infrastructure and  learning  materials,  etc.  NEP  2020  proposes  to  have  multiple  mechanisms  with  checks  and balances for different aspects of education sector. The policy unequivocally endorses and envisions a  substantial  increase  in  public  investment  in  education  by  both  the  Central  government  and  all State Governments. The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.

(f): NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses any opportunity to learn and excel because of the circumstances of birth or background. It proposes special emphasis to be given on Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs). Details of equitable  and inclusive education are given in Chapters 6 and 14 of NEP 2020.

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