Lok Sabha Question No. 63 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-03
Subject: New Education Policy (NEP) 2020
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh, Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe, Smt. Supriya Sule, Shri Sanjay Dina Patil, Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad, Shri Amar Sharadrao Kale, Shri Bhaskar Murlidhar Bhagare, Shri Bajrang Manohar Sonwane, Shri Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 63 ANSWERED ON 03/02/2025

## New Education Policy (NEP) 2020

63. Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe:

Shri Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke:

Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh:

Shri Amar Sharadrao Kale:

Shri Bajrang Manohar Sonwane:

Shri Sanjay Dina Patil:

Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad:

Shri Bhaskar Murlidhar Bhagare:

Smt. Supriya Sule:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  current  status  of  the  implementation  of  the  National  Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020, across the country especially in Maharashtra;
- (b)  whether the Government has set any timeline for the complete implementation of NEP 2020;
- (c) the impact of NEP in school education, particularly with respect to foundational literacy and numeracy in the State of Maharashtra;
- (d)  the  measures being taken by the Government to integrate vocational education into the school curriculum as per the NEP 2020 guidelines;
- (e)  whether  the  Government  has  introduced  any  steps  to implement  a  flexible  and multidisciplinary curriculum at the school level, if so, the details thereof;
- (f) the steps being taken by the Government to implement reforms in teacher training as per NEP 2020;
- (g) the steps being taken by the Government to promote education in regional languages and mother tongues as per NEP 2020; and
- (h) the manner in which the NEP 2020 addressing issues of inclusion and equity, particularly for marginalized and disadvantaged communities?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a): A  number  of  transformative  changes  have  taken  place  both  in  school  and  higher education after announcement of National Education Policy (NEP 2020). In School Education several  initiatives  have  been  taken  such  as  alignment  of  Samagra  Shiksha  with  the recommendation of the NEP; National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat) for ensuring foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 2; Vidya-Pravesh Guidelines for Three-month Play-based School Preparation Module; PM e-VIDYA to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable coherent multi-mode access to education; DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) as One  Nation  One  Digital  Platform  having  e-Books  and  e-Contents;  launch  of  National Curriculum  Framework  for  Foundational  Stage  (NCF-FS)  and  Jadui  Pitara  for  play-based learning teaching material tailored for children between the age group of 3 to 8 years; National Curriculum  Framework  for  School  Education  (NCF-SE)  to  address  the  entire  educational journey uptil secondary stage. PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development); NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers'  Holistic  Advancement)  Elementary,  Secondary,  FLN  (Foundational  Literacy  & Numeracy)  &  ECCE  (Early  Childhood  Care  and  Education);  Vidya  Samiksha  Kendra; Integrated  Teacher  Education  Programme;  National  Professional  Standards  for  Teachers (NPST); National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) for creating a unifying national digital infrastructure to energise and catalyse the education ecosystem, implementation of a scheme New India Literacy Programme or ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) targeting all nonliterates age 15 years and above, etc.

Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) Scheme has been launched with an aim to develop more than 14,500 selected schools as exemplar schools that offer leadership to other schools in the neighbourhood, showcasing all the initiatives of NEP 2020.

The current status of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, across states Maharashtra is as follows:

-  A total of 209 tasks are for NEP implementation for Maharashtra
-  Out of these total 209 tasks, 67 tasks have been completed at present
-  There are 74 tasks which are still in progress.
-  There are 20 tasks on which work is yet to begin.
-  There are 28 tasks that have been completed but will continue on a continuous basis.
-  2 tasks are policy tasks

(b): NEP 2020 provides different timelines as well as principles and methodology for its implementation. It also envisions operationalization of the entire policy in the decade of 203040, following which another comprehensive review will be undertaken. Education being in the concurrent list of Constitution, Centre and States are equally responsible for providing quality education to all. Accordingly, Ministry of Education, State Governments, education-related

Ministries, the regulatory and implementing bodies of school and higher education such as University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education, National Council for Teacher Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Central Board of Secondary Education, Universities/Colleges/Schools etc. have taken several initiatives for implementation of NEP 2020.

Further,  Education  is  in  the  concurrent  list  of  the  Constitution  and  major responsibility of implementation of NEP 2020 following prescribed norms and standards falls under the domain of the States and UT Governments.

(c): The Scheme of Samagra Shiksha has been aligned with National Education Policy, 2020  with  focus  on  improving  the  quality  of  educationthrough  various  measures  such  as introduction of new pedagogical and curricular structure (5+3+3+4), Early Childhood Care and Education  and  Foundational  Literacy  and  Numeracy,  among  others  and  covers  the  entire continuum  of  Education  from  3  years  of  Balvatika  (pre  school)  to  class  12.  All  the  36 States/UTs are implementing NIPUN Bharat Mission.

National  Initiative  for  Proficiency  in  Reading  with  Understanding  and  Numeracy  (NIPUN Bharat) has been launched under Samagra Shiksha for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 2. Guidelines for Three-month Play-based School Preparation Module for Grade-I Children- Vidya Pravesh has been launched on 29 th July, 2021. All the 36 States/UTs are implementing Vidya Pravesh Programme.

Maharashtra issued Government resolution on 27 Oct. 2021 for smooth implementation of mission. In the GR, all the targets have been informed to all stake holders. According to this, State Programming Unit and Steering committee has been constituted. All the districts have constituted DISTRICT Steering committee and District PMU and they are working smoothly at field level. Revised lakshyas have also been conveyed to related stakeholders.  Academic task force and District task force have been formed at state and district level.

-  Nipunotsav program: Under this programme, to declare as a NIPUN Block or NIPUN Cluster, parameters have been conveyed to all stakeholders. Schools were instructed to organise different activities for FLN.
-  Training of teachers: Teachers of Grades-I to V are being trained   (including new teachers) in order to ensure the requisite capacity to deliver high quality  instruction for the foundational stage. All 3,25,000 teachers (100 %) from Govt. and aided schools for the Grade 1 to 5 have received   training on Foundational Literacy & Numeracy named 'Adhyayan Prakriyeche Vyavsthapn' (Management of Learning Process). This training was  based  on  activity  and  technology  based.  Also  refresher  training  was  given  to teachers at cluster meetings.
-  FLN Workbooks for the students: To strengthen Pedagogy and teaching learning process, the TLMs for Grade 1 to 5 have been distributed to all Govt. schools in the academic year 2022-23.

##  FLN NISHTHA Training:

- -Online orientation of the teachers and FLN NISHTHA training has been given to all primary teachers with the help of DIKSHA Portal.
- -The NISHTHA 3.0 training has been conducted during the period of 1st January 2022 to 31st March 2022 and 1st April 2022 to 9th May 2022.
- -Total 12 Modules were created under NISHTHA 3.0 program
- -Total 2,39,172 trainees have taken this training by completing the 45-60 hours of training  on  DIKSHA  portal  for  completing  the  NISHTHA  3.0  (FLN)  Training Program.
-  National Conference on FLN: The state has been actively participating in national conferences and seminars focused on FLN, sharing best practices and learning from other regions to strengthen its educational strategies. For instance, during the two-day National Conference on FLN held from June 17-18, 2023, Maharashtra, along with other states and union territories, showcased its initiatives aimed at improving teachinglearning approaches and pedagogy in the context of multilingualism.
-  Teachers Activity Handbook: Teacher supportive material in the form of Teachers Activity Handbook has been developed and aligned with goals and Learning Outcomes (Los) of FLN for Languages and Maths and distributed to the school.
-  Posters: To create print rich environment, posters have   been designed in  different languages for Language and Maths.
-  Vidyapravesh Programme:
- i. School  preparation  module  of  three  months  for  Grade  1  students  has  been implemented in 2022-23,2023-24 and 202425 in the form of Teacher Guidebook and Student activity book for smooth transaction of the children from pre-schooling to Grade 1.
- ii. A total of 65,689 government schools participated in this, and 7,21,291 students were enrolled.

NEP 2020 has significantly influenced school education in Maharashtra, particularly concerning  foundational  literacy  and  numeracy.  The  state's  initiatives,  aligned  with national  missions  like  NIPUN  Bharat,  reflect  a  commitment  to  building  a  strong educational foundation for its young learners, thereby contributing to their long-term academic and personal success.

(d): The Government has adopted several steps to make school education more joboriented and to increase the employable skill set of students. Under the Vocational Education  component  of  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  'Samagra  Shiksha', financial  assistance  is  given  to  States  for  offering  National  Skill  Qualification Framework (NSQF) compliant vocational courses to the students from classes 9 th to 12 th in the schools covered under the scheme to develop knowledge and practical skills required for gainful employment.

At the Secondary level i.e., Class IX and X, skill modules are offered to the students as an additional subject. At Sr. Secondary level, i.e., Class XI and XII, skill courses are  offered  as  a  compulsory  (elective)  subject.  So  far  138  Job  Roles  (JRs)  /  Skill subjects have been approved for implementation in States/UTs as per the Skill Gap Analysis. Employability Skill modules  including Communication  Skills, SelfManagement Skills, Information and Communication Technology Skills, Entrepreneurship  Skills,  and  Green  Skills  are  included  in  the  curriculum  of  JRs.

Assistance for setting up Vocational or Skill labs in schools and DIETS, with state-ofthe-art facilities, is also provided. The existing scheme of Samagra Shiksha has been revamped  and  various  new  interventions  relating  to  Vocational  Education  like internships, bagless days, exposure to vocational education at the Upper Primary level etc. are being supported. The guidelines for 10 bagless days for students was launched on the 4 th Anniversary of NEP 2020.

In  coordination  with  the  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship,  the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) is implementing PMKVY 4.0 in  the  school  education  sector.  Further,  the  Department  of  School  Education  and Literacy  in  partnership  with  industry  is  enhancing  the  knowledge  and  exposure  of students in emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality.

The National Curriculum Framework for School Education, developed in pursuance of National  Education  Policy  2020,  has  laid  down  the  objectives  of  approaches  to Vocational Education. One of the objectives is that vocational capacities, knowledge, and relevant values will be developed for all students, and this will create the possibility of them joining the workforce after school if they choose to.

The  National  Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020  emphasises  on  the  significance  of counselling in schools as a key component of the educational framework. The policy advocates  a  holistic  approach  to  career  guidance,  considering  the  individual  needs, interests, and strengths of each student. NEP 2020 also promotes the use of technology and online resources to enhance career guidance services. DoSEL has launched Career Guide book for School Students on the 4 th Anniversary celebration of NEP 2020. This Career  Guide  Book  consists  of  500  career  cards  in  21  domains.  Each  career  card contains  work  profile,  essential  Personal  Traits,  Course  fee,  Scholarships,  Loan prospects, Entry Pathway, Details about course providing Institutions (Govt./Private/Online course) and example of pioneers in the field. A copy of this book is available at https://dsel.education.gov.in/careers/index.html

Career counselling at Secondary and Senior Secondary schools is considered of utmost importance which enables students to know the various career opportunities available as  per  their  choice,  need  and  strength.  The  revamped  scheme  of  Samagra  Shiksha provides for provisioning of one Academic Resource Person for career counselling at each Block/ULB in the Block Resource Centre (BRC). DoSEL has also finalised the Guidelines for Provisioning of Academic Resource Person for career counselling in the BRCs under Samagra Shiksha which are available at https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/update/guidelines\_brc\_1707.pdf.

(e): Based on the principles of National Education Policy 2020, Ministry of Education have released the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Studies (NCF-FS) and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), on 20 th October, 2022 and 23 rd August, 2023 respectively. NCF- FS and NCF-SE has been placed in public domain at https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/NCF\_for\_Foundational\_Stage\_20\_October\_2022.pdf and https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/update/ncf\_2023.pdf respectively.

(f): The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 states that "Teachers truly shape the future of our children - and, therefore, the future of our nation. The motivation and empowerment of teachers is required to ensure the best possible future for our children and our nation''. NEP 2020 envisage that teachers are to be given continuous opportunities for self-improvement and to learn the latest innovations and advances in their professions. These are offered in multiple modes, including in the form of local, regional, state, national, and international workshops as well as online teacher development modules. Platforms (especially online platforms) are to be developed so that teachers may share ideas and best practices. Each teacher is expected to participate in at least 50 hours of CPD (continuous Professional Development) opportunities every year for their own professional development, driven by their own interests.

In order to provide continuous professional development opportunities to the teachers' initiatives  like  NISHTHA  (National  Initiative  for  School  Heads'  and  Teachers'  Holistic Advancement) program developed by National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT) are implemented by the Department. It aligns with NEP's focus on enhancing teacher competency,  fostering  innovative  pedagogical  practices,  and  integrating  technology  into education. NISHTHA plays a pivotal role in improving teaching quality, fostering equity, and achieving the NEP's goal of creating a vibrant, inclusive, and future-ready education system.

In addition, for pre-service training programmes, Norms and Standards for Integrated Teacher  Education  Program  (ITEP),  a  four-year  undergraduate  course  designed  to  prepare teachers comprehensively for the demands of the 21st century has been notified by National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) on 26th October 2021. As outlined in NEP 2020, ITEP is a pioneering initiative that combines education with a specific discipline and stage-specific specialization.  This  dual  major  programme  spans  four  years  and  is  structured  to  cater  to different school stages: foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary.  The ITEP Curriculum Framework and stage-specific syllabi is aligned with NEP 2020, National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) and National Credit Framework (NCrF) and emphasizes on 21st-century skills and abilities.

National  Professional  Standards  for  Teachers  (NPST)  and  the  National  Mission  for Mentoring (NMM) have been developed to support the professional development of teachers. The NPST outlines the competencies required for effective teaching at different career stages. The  NMM  focuses  on  creating  a  robust  network  of  mentors  to  provide  professional  and personal support to teachers. NPST guiding Document and NMM Bluebook have been shared with States/UTs for wider dissemination.

Further, under the integrated centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to the States/UTs as per the programmatic and financial norms of the scheme for implementing the different interventions/ components of the scheme, including teacher training as also for physical upgradation of all 613 functional DIETs in the country in a phased manner in order to strengthen the in-service training imparted by DIETs.

(g): The  National  Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020  has  placed  a  strong  emphasis  on multilingual and multicultural education. NEP 2020 inter-alia, provides that wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, is to be  the  home  language/mother  tongue/local  language/regional  language.  Thereafter,  the home/local language shall continue to be taught as a language wherever possible.

To promote language learning  among  young  and  adult  learners;  primers-instructional materials in book form (print or digital), is being designed. Such resources facilitate reading and writing-which are crucial inputs for strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy among young and adult learners in a specific language.

-  In  the  first  phase Kuwi and Desia Primers  were  launched  on  17  August  2023  at Bhubaneswar, Odisha for its wider dissemination and use.
-  In second phase 52 Primers in Indian Languages were released on 9 th March 2024.
-  As on Date a total number of 104 primers have been launched . These Primers have been uploaded on NCERT web portal: https://ncert.nic.in/primers.php?ln=en and DIKSHA portals  for  wider  dissemination  and  print  copies  have  been  shared  with  SCERTs  in States / UTs

In addition, National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers for Holistic Advancement  -  NISHTHA  3.0  online  has  been  launched  to  train  the  teachers  from  Early Childhood care and Education (ECCE) up to grade V. It has 12 training modules including a dedicated module on Multilingual teaching in foundational years, which also covers usage of mother tongue / home language in teaching.

(h): The integrated Samagra Shiksha Scheme has been aligned with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to ensure that all children have access to quality education with an equitable and inclusive classroom environment which should take care of their diverse background, multilingual needs, different academic abilities and make them active participants in the learning process.

Under  Samagra  Shiksha,  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  States  and  UTs  for providing various facilities to the children including marginalized and disadvantaged children for implementing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 as also for implementation of various provisions of Samagra Shiksha Scheme which include free  uniform  to  eligible  children  at  elementary  level,  free  textbooks  at  elementary  level, development of primers/textbooks for tribal language, teaching learning materials, transport/escort facility up to secondary level, special training for age appropriate admission of out of school children and residential as well as non-residential training for older children, seasonal hostels / residential camps, special training centers,  age-appropriate residential and non-residential training, support of Rs. 2000 per child per grade to Out of School Children (16 to 19 years) for completion of education through NIOS/SIOS, Holistic Progress Card, bilingual teaching material and books, support to Children with Special Needs (CWSN).  Further, under the  student-oriented  component  for  the  children  with  special  needs,  financial  assistance  is provided for identification and assessment of children with special needs, aids and appliances, braille kits and books, appropriate teaching learning material and stipend to girl students with disability etc.

Also,  under  the  Scheme  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  the  States  and  UTs  for Universalization of School Education including opening/strengthening of new schools upto senior secondary level, construction of school buildings & additional classrooms, development/strengthening  of  school  infrastructure  in  northern  border  areas  under  Vibrant Village  Programme,  setting  up,  up-gradation  and  running  of  Kasturba  Gandhi  Balika Vidyalayas, construction of hostels for PVTGs under PM-JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi  Nyaya  Maha  Abhiyan),  setting  up  of  Netaji  Subhash  Chandra  Bose  Avasiya Vidyalayas, construction of hostels under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan for unsaturated ST population,  reimbursement under RTE Act, various qualitative components, strengthening of teacher education and strengthening of DIETs/BRCs/CRCs, provision of ICT and digital interventions.

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