The National Education Policy, initiated in 2020 has already been implemented in various states.
We take a look at what this policy has brought to students at ground level. Here are some first-hand accounts of students across schools and colleges.
1. Ananya S, a literature student
"National Education Policy (2020) is a revamped way of looking at policy in the education sector in India. There were certain changes in curriculum, such as the introduction of financial investment electives and artificial intelligence electives even for art students to provide a holistic education. Politics pervades us everywhere and it's the same with NEP. However, I feel that the scrapping of the 4-year program is unwarranted. As a literature student, I think studying Rabindranath Tagore is more important than studying Akkamahadevi simply because foreign universities are not familiar with the latter."
Ananya S, a literature student from National School of Journalism |
2. Sanavi Bhingardive, Holy Cross School, Lower Parel
"There is no such thing that I am even aware of. We have been doing similar things for years and buying the same textbooks from our seniors. Everything looks as normal as ever with no visible changes as such."
Sanavi Bhingardive, Holy Cross School, Lower Parel |
3. Hassya Pawar, 19, Political Science student from National School of Journalism
"Well, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections it might seem like a political battle. So, I am from the NEP batch and I haven't seen a drastic change as there was no switch whatsoever. I feel there could have been a better result to this if it was well planned and implemented. As far as the changes are concerned the thought of 'radical restructuring of the education system' doesn't seem well planned. It did seem promising initially as it emphasized flexible and quality education however, the outcome seems a little disappointing."
Hassya Pawar, 19, Political Science Student |
4. Tanisha Bokankar, Std X, Nath Vally School
"In the end, even if a thousand changes are bought, one is still judged on the basis of the person's personality. However it can be helpful for students coming from backward or underdeveloped areas subjects have been implemented in our school. Especially courses which give us a hands-on experience which is really fun and also the importance of marathi has been increased. I expected the policy to be implemented at a quicker pace as I was excited about the upcoming changes."
Tanisha Bokankar, Nath Vally School |
5. Ishaan Dewan, law student at NMIMS Kirit P Mehta School of Law:
"The focus is more on rot learning and not practically implementing it. Students should have the liberty to choose any stream and not be stuck to a defined course. This should allow students to be more flexible in terms of education. Recently my professors spoke to us about the NEP. However, I don't think there is much of an impact on our course."
Ishaan Dewan, 2nd Yr BBA.LLB student |
6. Animesh Kaushik, 18, pursuing BA with honours in psychology:
"There are a lot of changes. Personally, I feel the biggest one is the honours program that has been added and has the freedom to leave the course after every year, receiving a certificate, diploma, degree and honours certification in the order of every year. It was very different from what I had heard from seniors who had done the same course before 2020. It is a change in the education policy that has brought out a lot of change not just in the teaching methodology but also in the curriculum as a whole making certain subjects compulsory while doing away with certain others."
Animesh Kaushik, second year student studying Honours with Psychology |
7. Aradhya, 22, psychology student:
"The NEP is a significant step towards modernizing the education system in India. The changes in the curriculum are designed to make education more relevant, engaging, and effective. Many schools and colleges were forced to close their doors in 2020, and they have since adopted online learning platforms to continue teaching their students. This has been a challenge for many students and teachers, but it has also opened up new possibilities for education."
Aradhya, 22, pursuing BA |
8. Sai Abhiram, 18, a journalism student:
"Several policies has got my attention such as: participating in extracurricular activities relevant to your location, studying a local language, taking a course in area history or literature, and internship with a company or organization devoted to regional development. This can stand out for students like us after NEP's implementation.
Sai Abhiram, 18, a journalism student |
9. Nehal Nevle, 22, studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham College:
"According to me, NEP is trying to bring about a progressive change in our current education system making less rote learning and more experiential learning. It is also trying to bring in modern and digital methods. Everything in India is politicised, NEP has its pros and cons it's upon its implementation that the effectiveness depends."
Nehal Nevle, Engineering final year student |
10. Adarsh Priyadarshi, student at IIT Bombay and part of APPSC :
"I did not see the transition from the old to the new model since I am a NEP batch but yeah the Undergrad model for Bachelor which previously had three years is now 4, an additional year for honours research. National Education Policy which has focused on skill-based knowledge, might not be enough for a student. 80 percent of students don't opt for higher studies after grade 12. Therefore, this policy is more beneficial for students coming from a business class."
Adarsh Priyadarshi, a PhD student at IIT Bombay |
11. Pearl D'souza, a Mithibai college student
"I personally have not seen anything different because of the NEP. We are not educated on important things in life and neither does education that we learn to help us grow. I may come out to be biased, but NEP has not brought much change as per my experience."
12. A student who was comfortable staying anonymous opined her thoughts by mentioning the significance of NEP. She said "The changes in the curriculum are designed to make education more relevant, engaging, and effective. Only time will tell how successful these changes will be, but they are a step in the right direction. The National Education Policy (NEP) has been met with mixed reactions in India. Some people believe that it is a bold and necessary step towards modernizing the education system, while others believe that it is a political agenda that will benefit the ruling party."
13. Another college-going student who was very particular about staying anonymous mentioned about experience faced before and after NEP implementation. "I did not see the transition from the old to the new model since i am a NEP batch but yeah the Undergrad model for Bachelor which previously had three years is now 4, an additional year for honours research," read the reply.
