Lok Sabha Question No. 171 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-22
Subject: Quality of Education under New Education Policy
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Dileshwar Kamait, Dr. Amar Singh

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 171 ANSWERED ON 22.07.2024

## Quality of Education under New Education Policy

## †171.   Shri Dileshwar Kamait:

Dr. Amar Singh:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the country's education system needs to adapt to the changing needs of the economy by providing skill training;

(b) if so, the details of the steps proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) the steps being taken by the Government under the New National Education Policy (NEP) to improve the quality of education and examination at all levels from primary to university level;

(d) the budget allocated by the Government in this regard;

(e) whether the Government has constituted any committee to keep question papers confidential for different level examinations and also for control over corruption; and

(f) whether the Government proposes to make secondary education level as skill oriented so that students can get gainful employment after completing 12 th standard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a)  to  (d):  Education  plays  an  important  role  in  the  development  of  an  enlightened,  socially conscious, knowledgeable & skilled nation that can find & implement robust solutions to its own problems. It must form the basis for knowledge creation and innovation thereby contributing to a growing  national  economy.  It  is  evident  that  focus  on  education  system,  innovation,  creative engagements and business enterprises ultimately prosper the country. Education is a great leveler and is the best tool for achieving economic and social mobility, inclusion, and equality. National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) recognises that the aim of education will not only be cognitive development,  but  also  building  character  and  creating  holistic  and  well-rounded  individuals equipped  with  the  key  21st  century  skills.  It  is  envisaged  in  the  Policy  that  beginning  with vocational exposure at early ages in middle and secondary school, quality vocational education will be integrated smoothly into higher education system.

A number of transformative changes have taken place both in school and higher education after announcement  of  NEP  2020.  In  School  Education,  changes  include  introduction  of  early childhood  care  and  education;  emphasis  on  Foundational  Literacy  and  Numeracy;  National Curriculum Framework for all levels,  extensive use of technology to enable multi-mode access to education; Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA); Teacher Education Programme in Multi-disciplinary environment; Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development; National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) for creating a unifying national digital infrastructure;  'New India Literacy Programme or ULLAS' targeting all non-literates aged 15 years and above, etc.

Similarly  in  higher  education,  various  transformative  changes  include  providing  much-needed flexibility, allowing creative combination of subjects, providing multiple pathways, establishing equivalence and mobility  to the students through National Credit Framework (NCrF), National Higher Education Qualification Framework, Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), multiple entry/exit; offering  of    courses    and  books  /  course  materials  in  Indian  Languages;  use  of  technology  to enhance  access  to  education  and  for  administration  and  governance  of  Universities  and  HEIs; permitting  learners  to  avail  upto  40%  credit  Courses  from  SWAYAM  platform;  industry academia collaboration for internships and to develop courses and curriculum to meet the industry and  societal  needs,  offering  of    industry-aligned  courses;  promoting  Indian  and  Foreign  HEIs setting of campuses abroad and in India respectively; enhanced reputation of the Indian HEIs in international ranking; embedding of Indian Knowledge system in the education etc.

NEP 2020  recommends  for  regular  formative  assessments  to  foster  a  deeper  understanding  of subjects and skills among  students,  moving  away  from rote learning and exam-centric preparation.  NEP  2020  aims  to  alleviate  the  immense  pressure  students  face  from  high-stakes exams,  thereby  nurturing  their  overall  development  and  critical  thinking  abilities.  Accordingly PARAKH  (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development)  has  been  set  up  for  setting  standards  for  student  assessment  across  all  school boards in India. It endeavours to align assessment patterns with the evolving demands of the 21st century. For higher education, entrance examinations like  CUET, JEE, NEET etc. are conducted based  on  learning  level  in  core  subjects  studied  in  Board  level  examinations.  JEE  exams  are conducted twice a year and student has option to appear in these examinations and the best of two results  is  considered.  CUET,  JEE  and  NEET  are  available  in  13  Indian  languages  for  ease  of students' comprehensibility.

The Centre and the States /  UTs  work  together  to  increase  the  public  investment  in  Education sector to reach 6% of GDP. Various schemes/projects/programmes run by Ministry of Education have been aligned with NEP 2020. As far as Central Government is concerned, Budget allocation of Rs. 1,21,117.77 Crore has been made for the year 2024-25 (Interim Budget).

(e): Department of Higher Education on 22.06.2024, has constituted a High-Level Committee of Experts under the Chairmanship of Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Former Chairman, ISRO and Chairman BoG,  IIT  Kanpur  to  make  recommendations  on  reform  in  mechanism  of  examination  process; improvement  in  Data  Security  protocols;  and  structure  and  functioning  of  National  Testing Agency.

(f):  The  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  is  implementing  the  initiative  of Vocationalisation  of  School  Education  under  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  'Samagra  Shiksha'. The  scheme  aims  at  integrating  Vocational  Education  with  general  academic  education  in  all Secondary/Senior Secondary schools; enhancing the Employability and Entrepreneurial abilities of  the  students,  providing  exposure  to  work  environment;  and  generating  awareness  amongst students about various career options so as to enable them to make a choice in accordance with their  aptitude,  competence  and  aspirations.  The  scheme  covers  Government  and  Government aided  schools.  Under  the  Scheme,  National  Skill  Qualification  Framework  (NSQF)  compliant vocational courses are offered to the students from class 9 th to 12 th in the schools covered under the scheme.