Education is fundamental for achieving full human potential, developing an equitable and just
society, and promoting national development. Providing universal access to quality education is the
key to India’s continued ascent, and leadership on the global stage in terms of economic growth,
social justice and equality, scientific advancement, national integration, and cultural preservation.
Universal high-quality education is the best way forward for developing and maximizing our
country’s rich talents and resources for the good of the individual, the society, the country, and the
world. India will have the highest population of young people in the world over the next decade, and
our ability to provide high-quality educational opportunities to them will determine the future of our
country.
The global education development agenda reflected in the Goal 4 (SDG4) of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, adopted by India in 2015 – seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030. Such a lofty goal will require
the entire education system to be reconfigured to support and foster learning, so that all of the critical
targets and goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can be achieved.
The world is undergoing rapid changes in the knowledge landscape. With various dramatic scientific
and technological advances, such as the rise of big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence,
many unskilled jobs worldwide may be taken over by machines, while the need for a skilled
workforce, particularly involving mathematics, computer science, and data science, in conjunction
with multidisciplinary abilities across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, will be
increasingly in greater demand. With climate change, increasing pollution, and depleting natural
resources, there will be a sizeable shift in how we meet the world’s energy, water, food, and
sanitation needs, again resulting in the need for new skilled labour, particularly in biology, chemistry,
physics, agriculture, climate science, and social science. The growing emergence of epidemics and
pandemics will also call for collaborative research in infectious disease management and
development of vaccines and the resultant social issues heightens the need for multidisciplinary
learning. There will be a growing demand for humanities and art, as India moves towards becoming a
developed country as well as among the three largest economies in the world.
Indeed, with the quickly changing employment landscape and global ecosystem, it is becoming
increasingly critical that children not only learn, but more importantly learn how to learn. Education
thus, must move towards less content, and more towards learning about how to think critically and
solve problems, how to be creative and multidisciplinary, and how to innovate, adapt, and absorb new
material in novel and changing fields. Pedagogy must evolve to make education more experiential,
holistic, integrated, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner-centred, discussion-based, flexible,
and, of course, enjoyable. The curriculum must include basic arts, crafts, humanities, games, sports
and fitness, languages, literature, culture, and values, in addition to science and mathematics, to
develop all aspects and capabilities of learners; and make education more well-rounded, useful, and
fulfilling to the learner. Education must build character, enable learners to be ethical, rational,
compassionate, and caring, while at the same time prepare them for gainful, fulfilling employment.
The gap between the current state of learning outcomes and what is required must be bridged through
undertaking major reforms that bring the highest quality, equity, and integrity into the system, from
early childhood care and education through higher education.
The aim must be for India to have an education system by 2040 that is second to none, with equitable
access to the highest-quality education for all learners regardless of social or economic background.
This National Education Policy 2020 is the first education policy of the 21st century and aims to
address the many growing developmental imperatives of our country. This Policy proposes the
revision and revamping of all aspects of the education structure, including its regulation and
governance, to create a new system that is aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st century
education, including SDG4, while building upon India’s traditions and value systems. The National
National Education Policy 2020
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Education Policy lays particular emphasis on the development of the creative potential of each
individual. It is based on the principle that education must develop not only cognitive capacities –
both the ‘foundational capacities ’of literacy and numeracy and ‘higher-order’ cognitive capacities,
such as critical thinking and problem solving – but also social, ethical, and emotional capacities and
dispositions.
The rich heritage of ancient and eternal Indian knowledge and thought has been a guiding light for
this Policy. The pursuit of knowledge (Jnan), wisdom (Pragyaa), and truth (Satya) was always
considered in Indian thought and philosophy as the highest human goal. The aim of education in
ancient India was not just the acquisition of knowledge as preparation for life in this world, or life
beyond schooling, but for the complete realization and liberation of the self. World-class institutions
of ancient India such as Takshashila, Nalanda,Vikramshila, Vallabhi, set the highest standards of
multidisciplinary teaching and research and hosted scholars and students from across backgrounds
and countries. The Indian education system produced great scholars such as Charaka, Susruta,
Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Bhaskaracharya, Brahmagupta, Chanakya, Chakrapani Datta, Madhava,
Panini, Patanjali, Nagarjuna, Gautama, Pingala, Sankardev, Maitreyi, Gargi and Thiruvalluvar,
among numerous others, who made seminal contributions to world knowledge in diverse fields such
as mathematics, astronomy, metallurgy, medical science and surgery, civil engineering, architecture,
shipbuilding and navigation, yoga, fine arts, chess, and more. Indian culture and philosophy have had
a strong influence on the world. These rich legacies to world heritage must not only be nurtured and
preserved for posterity but also researched, enhanced, and put to new uses through our education
system.
The teacher must be at the centre of the fundamental reforms in the education system. The new
education policy must help re-establish teachers, at all levels, as the most respected and essential
members of our society, because they truly shape our next generation of citizens. It must do
everything to empower teachers and help them to do their job as effectively as possible. The new
education policy must help recruit the very best and brightest to enter the teaching profession at all
levels, by ensuring livelihood, respect, dignity, and autonomy, while also instilling in the system
basic methods of quality control and accountability.
The new education policy must provide to all students, irrespective of their place of residence, a
quality education system, with particular focus on historically marginalized, disadvantaged, and
underrepresented groups. Education is a great leveler and is the best tool for achieving economic and
social mobility, inclusion, and equality. Initiatives must be in place to ensure that all students from
such groups, despite inherent obstacles, are provided various targeted opportunities to enter and excel
in the educational system.
These elements must be incorporated taking into account the local and global needs of the country,
and with a respect for and deference to its rich diversity and culture. Instilling knowledge of India and
its varied social, cultural, and technological needs, its inimitable artistic, language, and knowledge
traditions, and its strong ethics in India’s young people is considered critical for purposes of national
pride, self-confidence, self-knowledge, cooperation, and integration.