Lok Sabha Question No. 211 (STARRED), answered on 2025-08-04
Subject: Impact of National Education Policy, 2020
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 211 ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025

## Impact of National Education Policy, 2020

- *211. Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara: Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government has conducted/proposes to conduct any independent, region-wise evaluation of the impact of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) if not, the reasons therefor;

(d)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  impact  of  NEP  in  rural  (villages)  and  tribal dominated areas like Palghar in Maharashtra and UT of Jammu and Kashmir; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

- (a) to (e):  A statement is laid on the table of the House.

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## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (E) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 211 FOR REPLY ON 04.08.2025 ASKED BY DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA AND SMT. MAHIMA KUMARI MEWAR, HON'BLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING IMPACT OF NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY, 2020

(a)  to  (e):    After  announcement  of  the  National  Education  Policy  2020  (NEP  2020),  several impactful reforms and initiatives have been taken by various stakeholders and during the course of  implementation  in  last  five  years,  NEP  2020's  impact  is  visible  in  policy  corridors  and classrooms across School Education and Higher Education.  Marking five years of NEP 2020, India has witnessed significant transformation in education. NEP has empowered students with flexibility,  foundational  literacy,  and  future-readiness,  supporting  India's  vision  as  a  global knowledge superpower.

'PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024' was conducted across India including in Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir on 04.12.2024, to understand the baseline performance in development of competencies among the students at the end of the Foundational, Preparatory, and Middle stages (Grades 3, 6, and 9 respectively).  Nationwide over 21.15 lakh students and 2.70 lakh teachers from more than 74,000 schools across 781 districts from all States/UTs participated in the survey. In the Sarvekshan 2024, overall 63% of participating students were from rural areas, ensuring strong  and  inclusive  representation  of  rural  and  tribal  regions  in  the  large-scale  assessment. Maharashtra  emerged  as  one  of  the  top-performing  states  in  the  PARAKH  survey,  with  over 123,000 students assessed across Grades 3, 6, and 9, while over 44,000 students assessed in these grades  from  Jammu &  Kashmir. National,  State  and  District  level  report  cards  for  PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 are available at https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en.

According to Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE +), between 201415  and  2023-24,  India's  school  education  system  saw  measurable  improvements  across  key educational indicators. It has data with nearly 14.72 lakh schools and nearly 24.8 Crore students from Foundational to Secondary level from varied socio-economic backgrounds. The number of teachers increased from 85.6 lakh to 98.07 lakh, with female teachers rising from 40.2 lakh to 52.3 lakh,  reflecting  a  more  gender-balanced  workforce.  The  Pupil  Teacher Ratio  (PTR) improved across all levels-from 30 to 21 at the primary level, and from 38 to 24 at higher secondary, enhancing classroom attention and learning conditions. Dropout rates declined at the primary level to 1.9%, upper primary to 5.2%, and secondary to 14.1%, indicating better student retention. The mean years of schooling increased from 6.28 to 7.33 years, and the expected years of schooling from 11.75 to 13.36 years, while the youth literacy rate climbed from 94.6% to 97%, showcasing the impact of NEP 2020 reforms on foundational learning and access.

In Maharashtra, a total of 2.14 crore students are enrolled in schools with 7.38 lakh teachers in 2023-24 against 7.25 lakh teachers in 2014-15, with girls account for 1.47 crore, making up 49.6% of total enrolment. Scheduled Caste (SC) students are 32.1 lakh (12.5%), while Scheduled Tribe (ST) students are 27.8 lakh (11.2% of the total).

In Palghar district, between 2014-15 and 2023-24, the percentage of schools with computers rose from 45% to 75.6%, and internet access from 11% to 50.6%. Basic amenities like drinking water and handwashing facilities now cover nearly 100% of schools, while library access remains above 99%. Accessibility has improved too, with ramps in 90% of schools and handrails in over 80%, up  from  zero  a  decade  ago-highlighting  Palghar's  commitment  to  inclusive,  tech-enabled education.

Similarly, in Jammu & Kashmir, a total of 26.3 lakh students were enrolled as per UDISE 202324 data with 1.67 lakh teachers teaching them against 1.64 lakh teachers in 2014-15. Girls make up 49.3%, totaling 12.97 lakh approximately. The state has a significant share of tribal students at 14% (around 3.68 lakh) and SC students at 8.2% (around 2.16 lakh). The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for primary education is  113%, indicating strong participation, and dropout rates have shown a marked decline.

In higher education, an annual web based 'All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE)' is a comprehensive data source on higher education. AISHE 2022-23 reports a 30% rise in higher education enrolment since 2014-15, reaching 4.46 crore. The enrolment of SC students is 69.13 Lakh in 2022-23 as compared to 46.06 Lakh in 2014-15, reflecting an increase of 50.1%. The enrolment of ST students has increased to 28.72 Lakh in 2022-23 from 16.41 Lakh in 2014-15, which an increase of 75%.  Total STEM enrolment stands at 99.76 lakh.

Maharashtra saw an enrolment of 48.59 lakh students in 2022-23 against 37. 36 lakh in 2014-15 marking a growth of 30.1%. Female enrolment crossed 22.07 Lakh with a state GER of 36.3 much higher than the national average. Number of SC enrolments increased by 46.9% to 6.22 lakhs while the ST enrolments increased by 49.3% to 2.32 Lakhs. The UT of Jammu and Kashmir saw an enrolment of 3.96 lakh 2022-23 against enrolment of 3.38 lakh in 2014-15 marking a growth of 18.5%. Female enrolment crossed 2.05 Lakh. Number of SC enrolments increased by 48.7% to 26,820 while the ST enrolments increased by 96.9% to 28,962.

The transformative reforms in higher education has resulted in more and more HEIs being ranked in international ranking. In QS 2026, 54 Indian HEIs/Universities are ranked as compared to 11 in QS 2014. In QS 2026, there are 10 Indian HEIs in top 500. In QS World University Rankings, Asia  2025  India  has second  most  representation, with 163  universities featured and  7 institutions in the top 100.  The  QS  Subject  Rankings  for  2025  included  79  Indian  HEIs,  an increase  of  10  from  the  previous  year's  69,  reflecting  a  14%  growth.  Indian  Institutions  were represented across 533 entries, marking 25.7% increased from 424 entries in the previous edition.

India  has  shown  remarkable  growth  in  the  field  of  intellectual  property,  with  92,168  patent applications filed in 2023-24 - an increase of over 115% since 2014-15. A major driver of this growth  has  been  the  contribution  of  educational  institutions.  The  patent  filings  by  domestic educational  institutes  have  more  than  tripled  from  7405  in  2021-22  to  23,306  in  2023-24. Educational institutions are playing an important role in promoting innovation in India. In 202324, they filed 23,306 patent applications, which is 25.28% of all patents filed that year. This shows their strong and growing contribution to research and new ideas. As per WIPO IP Statistics Data Centre India ranked 6 th position in number of total patent applications (resident + abroad) in 2023.

⁠India ranks 3rd in terms of number of PhDs awarded in Science and Engineering (S&E) as per 'Research and Development Statistics at a glance 2022-23 of Deptt. Of Science and Technology. India  also  ranked  3rd  in  2022  (from  7th  in  2010)  in  terms  of  total  number  of  Science  and Engineering publications as per the National Science Foundation (NSF) database of the United States.

Focus of NEP on research and innovation has propelled India's ranking in the Global Innovation Index (GII) from 81 in 2015 to 48 in 2020 and currently being ranked at 39th place in 2024.

Sustained efforts for internationalisation of Indian higher education ecosystem under the National Education  Policy  2020,  has  enabled  the  entry  of  reputed  foreign  universities  into  the  Indian education landscape. Letters of Intent have been issued to 11 globally ranked universities from countries such as the UK, Australia, the US, and Italy to establish offshore campuses in India.

Notably, the University of Southampton has already operationalised its campus in Gurugram in the current academic year.  Two Australian universities-Deakin University and the University of Wollongong-have  commenced  operations  at  GIFT  City,  Gujarat.  Additionally,  UK-based Queen's  University  Belfast  and  Coventry  University  have  also  received  approval  to  set  up campuses in GIFT City.  Indian institutions like IIT Madras (Zanzibar) and IIT Delhi (Abu Dhabi) are  expanding  globally.  IIMA  and  the  United  Arab  Emirates  (UAE)  Government  signed  a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the IIMA Dubai Campus in the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC).

⁠NEP 2020 aims to meet international education levels while staying connected to India's traditions and local context. It also envisions a paradigm shift in India's education system, with a series of well-structured  reforms  aimed  at  making  education  more  inclusive,  holistic,  and  future-ready. NEP  2020  provides  different timelines as well as principles and methodology  for its implementation. It also provides that in the decade of 2030-40, the entire policy will be in an operational mode, following which another comprehensive review will be undertaken .

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