By Dr. Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation
Is NEP a game changer to revolutionize a win-win solution and take sustainable education towards grand edifice of Incubation, Innovation & Efficiency ?
‘Education Policy will equip our children to compete at global level’ our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi highlighted on the eve of 74th Independence Day. Perceiving Education as a way of life and pride is a focal point in an individual’s humankind. Can the contemporary policy meet the purpose of Sustainable Education and Development for all and realize the Last Decade of Action for SDGs 2030? Most significantly, Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) has the potential to link social, educational and environmental indicators with forward and backward linkages and contribute to nation-building in long term and its inter-connectedness with SDGs is a storehouse of vision for people, planet and a vehicle to deliver the spirit of ‘Atma-Nirbhar Bharat’.
As rightly pointed by Nelson Mandela, “the power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success”, NEP presents a highly momentous view and way towards creating entrepreneurial skills and a niche for ‘job creators’. Undoubtedly, during the past three decades, we have witnessed monumental changes in the field of education, totally transforming our way of living, sharing of knowledge, learning outcomes and its technology dissemination. Innovation to blur distinction between arts and science subjects, is a long overhaul and well appreciated. Opening Indian education, higher education to foreign learning is a credible step to bring best practices, exchange knowledge and resources through a multi-channel exercise. This shall bring the top global universities including Yale, Harvard, MIT, Cambridge to make a foray into Indian education system promoting access to foundational, transferable and present day skills for youth inside and outside formal education systems.
On the contrary, we find agriculture or allied activities are still treated as undeserving opportunities with unreasonable lucrative opportunities unlike software profession. This calls for a lack in our education system that fails to meet aspirations of various career professions. Also, in the past few decades, we have witnessed mushrooming of schools and colleges without qualitative outcomes. Critics have raised apprehension on mother tongue/regional language at primary levels and fear that adoption of English in advanced class shall appear a bane, especially for children from rural background. However, language whether English, Hindi or any vernacular shall not create a barrier rather foster diversity in learning and flexibility remained undisturbed by language of communication. In an interview to The Print, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said ‘NEP will be implemented uniformly across all schools, will ensure 6% of India’s GDP is spent on education’.
The very strength of our education is learning with outcomes that collectively allow us to resolute with focus, attention and results. India has already been a leader since ages with the prominent gurukul learning and university like Takshashila, Nalanda were ancient hub of knowledge and wisdom. In later stages, the non-uniformity of education divided by rich-poor, caste, occupation, etc made it inaccessible for everyone. Covid-19 pandemic has forced ‘education overhaul’ to meet contemporary challenges and find answers to our concerns and streamline learning outcomes with efficiency and qualitative results.
By 2030, we have our goals like ensuring that all girls and boys complete their free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education; eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and so on. These proposed targets can only be realized through convergence and collaboration implemented by the Centre, State, CSOs and other stakeholders. In short, SDG4 is the lynchpin to promote a New [email protected] the light of above, integrating New Education Policy with SDG4 shall embark as a force multiplier which shall enable self-reliance, boosts economic growth by enhancing entrepreneurial skills and improve lives by opening up opportunities for better livelihoods. The other SDGs with direct reference to education impacts cross-cutting clusters of Health and well-being, Gender equality, Decent work and sustainable growth, Responsible consumption & production, Climate change adaptation and mitigation. The privilege of Education resides in commitment to diverse & qualitative learning and that encompass social-economical-ecological perspectives fostering empowerment, efficient resource management and protecting our natural environment. India Water Foundation since inception has always propounded the significance of human development towards galvanizing human capital.
With quality education laying the foundation of sustainable development, NEP 2020 has a long way to go to achieve SDG4 and inter-linked actions. Certainly, the education sector has to transform itself to cope with the requirements of an emerging knowledge economy. Leading a path towards service economy, an Educational Policy if aligned with action goals 2030 shall bring prosperity, quality education, skill development; socio-economic empowerment and tap India’s rich Demographic Dividend.
Fingers crossed!
