NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY (NEP) 2020: MEASURES TO COMBAT COMMERCIALIZATION AND ENSURE AN EQUITABLE EDUCATION SYSTEM

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is independent India’s third Education Policy and the first in quarter of a century. Its effectiveness must be assessed based on the extent to which it contributes to the realisation of article 21A of the Constitution, addresses its segregated education system, is gender transformative and closes the gap between the education for India’s elites and its poor and historically marginalized groups including Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims. 

Its implementation must contribute to improved realization of the RTE Act, lead to the strengthening the public education system and stem the rising commercialization of education. This policy brief makes seven recommendations for its implementation. State and national governments should push the envelope on ensuring educational equity and non-discrimination, address the needs of children below six and above 14, confront privatization and commercialization of education, tackle the NEP’s inbuilt risk of informalization of education and operate with a more critical analysis of use of digital/IT tools. They must put in place a change management process for the upcoming governance reforms and strengthen the administrative backbone of the education system. Further, the government must ensure adequate resources for its implementation and amplifying mechanisms for citizen participation.

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