NEP 2020: 10 Nations Show Interest in Adopting India’s NEP into their Education Systems

Vinod Kakumanu
Sept. 29, 2020, 4:51 p.m.

The National Education Policy 2020 may be gaining certain international admiration. Although it is still in its pre-implementation phase, the NEP 2020 is being viewed with some optimism in the country, and going by the Union Education Minister’s disclosures, it is getting recognition from other parts of the globe too.

The minister recently stated that around 10 countries have shown their interest in India’s NEP for adoption in their respective education systems.

The Minister passed on this information as he spoke in the course of a Webinar “NEP 2020 - The Brighter Future of Education” organized by ASSOCHAM.

As of now, the government is in the process of sourcing specific suggestions—paragraph-wise detailed inputs—for effective implementation of the NEP. It is reported that 1.5 million suggestions have already poured in.

The Minister touched upon the linguistic reform component of the policy by stating that the government wants the 22 Indian languages to prosper and do not want to promote undue imposition of English as a medium of instruction. He opined that the mother-tongue, if used as a medium of instruction early on will strengthen the indigenous languages.

He cited the examples of nations including Japan, Russia, Israel, and France while stating that English is not a necessary condition for progress in the globalized world.

The NEP was approved by the center in July 2020 and is set to be implemented in phases, starting with the National Curriculum Framework. The NEP 2020 replaces the 34 –year-old NEP 1986.

The NEP is expected to bring systemic reforms in school education and it also has significant implications on higher education. The undergraduates will have a choice between multiple subjects and will have multiple entry and exit options in degree courses. An addition of as many as 3.5 crore seats in higher educational institutions is also expected. Other features that stand impacted include the fee regulation mechanism and discontinuation of the M.Phil program etc.

The Minister commenting on the unprecedented scale of the consultation process that is going into the drafting and implementation of the NEP 2020 said “Perhaps it is the first such policy in the world which has seen such huge consultations with over 1,000 universities, 45,000-degree colleges, 15 lakh schools, 1 crore teachers and professors along with 33 crore students and their parents, politicians, state governments and their education ministers, chief ministers, parliamentarians and industry bodies.”