Three years of National Education Policy 2020: How DU has re-crafted its curriculum to create future-ready students

The National Education Policy-2020, prepared under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was unveiled on 29 July 2020. The Policy (NEP-2020) designed to deal with the new social, economic and technical order of the 21st century has been universally appreciated. But as Gandhiji rightly said “all good thoughts and ideas mean nothing without action”, apprehensions had also been expressed in various quarters, about the implementation of NEP-2020. It will be relevant today, on the third anniversary of NEP-2020, to do a cross check. To what extent has the NEP been implemented? What have been the achievements so far? And, what are the challenges ahead? This introspection can be most usefully done keeping the main objectives of NEP-2020 in mind. If you delve deeply into the NEP-2020, you will find four underlying doctrines at its core: Indian knowledge traditions, Gandhi’s vision, Dr. Ambedkar’s social justice and the dream of an AatmaNirbhar Bharat. To realize these lofty ideas, certain fundamental principles were identified in framing the NEP, especially for the higher education sector. Embedded in these principles was a dynamic and holistic approach to learning- which equally emphasised both theory and application.  The focus on multilingualism and inculcation of social values are two remarkable aspects of this new approach.   Executing NEP was not easy and implementing these elements on the ground remains a huge challenge, given the scale and diversity of Bharat. With the concerted effort of stakeholders like the Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission and others, a phased implementation has begun. However, many universities of the country are not only lagging behind, but are yet to properly comprehend the dos and don’ts of the NEP-2020. A commendable initiative has been taken by the University of Delhi in this regard under the leadership of its Vice Chancellor Prof. Yogesh Singh.  DU, in the first phase, has implemented NEP 2020 at the undergraduate level, and preparations, now, are underway for the next phase. To enable learners to choose their learning trajectories and programmes according to their talent and/or interest- flexibility is a key feature of NEP-2020. Thus, DU students not only have the opportunity to choose among various courses within the ‘Core’ subject, but through ‘general elective’ courses, they will have options to study courses from other streams. A science person can study a course of geography or music from social science and humanities, or she/he can opt for a course on management or marketing from the commerce stream. This framework, apart from equipping a student with a specialized knowledge of the core subject, will also enable him to acquire a multidisciplinary understanding. Importantly, the entire syllabus has been configured in such a meticulous manner that the educational curriculum of every year is complete in itself. If a student wants to leave her/his studies, on account of some reasons, DU, after one year of completion, will provide her/him a ‘Certificate’, and after two years a ‘Diploma’. If one later wishes to return and complete his remaining studies, DU will provide the opportunity to do so. In pursuit of AatmaNirbhar  Bharat, NEP-2020 lays huge emphasis on skill development and employability. DU, accordingly, provides all students the opportunity to equip themselves with skill education. More than a hundred skill courses have been offered which will prepare our youth for self-employment. Besides this, opportunities of internship, apprenticeship, project etc., available till date primarily to students of Medical, Engineering and Management are also available in the conventional programs in DU, providing real-life experiential learning to all DU students. Not only that, in a novel ingenuity even entrepreneurship now is a part of DU curriculum. If a student sets up an enterprise or some ‘Start-up’, DU will consider it as a course and give credit i.e. marks for this. Multilingualism is another salient feature of the NEP. DU, in this arena too, has taken a lead. Teaching of all the Indian languages, mentioned in the 8th schedule of our Constitution, has been started. Along with ‘teaching of Indian languages’, NEP also emphasizes on learning and ‘teaching in Indian languages’, not only for humanities & social sciences but for sciences, engineering or medical studies as well. DU has further performed an important national role in this context by helping in translating engineering courses’ material into 11 Indian languages, created for ‘Swayam’ portal by the Ministry of Education, paving the way for instruction in the vernacular in the sciences, engineering and medical sciences. NEP realises research and innovation as important determinants for the progress of a nation, and hence lays emphasis on promoting a culture of research and innovation. DU has taken a big initiative in this direction too. Research, at the undergraduate level itself, now, has become a part of DU curriculum. Additionally, keeping in mind the spirit of social justice mentioned in the Constitution of India and NEP, DU has kept the fees very low for the admission of economically weaker sections in its upcoming programs like engineering etc. For example, those with an annual income of up to Rs 4 lakh will receive 90 percent waiver of fees at the time of admission. But the all-round development of the students and by extension that of the nation will not be possible unless our youth possess moral values, ethics and a holistic personality. The almost crisis proportions of the situation at hand – best characterised by the dominance of social media, with lives shrinking in the shell of technology, the prevalence of indoor gadget games which are fast replacing outdoor sports and the loneliness of the virtual space, have all combined to push the youth down a treacherous path. A situation has emerged creating imbalanced individuals, proving to be unproductive, burdensome and at times even dangerous, for society and the nation. Considering these problems of youth, DU, in the course of implementing NEP-2020, has designed ‘Value Addition Courses’, an innovative and historic step in the university system of the country. These courses, created for character building and all-round development of students, are imbued with the Indian knowledge system and Indian values and ethos, whereby 50 percent of delivery, emulating the Gandhian line, is applied and experiential. This fifty percent practical study is applicable not only to science-oriented courses, but also to courses related to humanities or literature. Importantly, all the courses are credit courses, and it is compulsory for the students of all the streams - science, humanities and social science or commerce to study them for four semesters. To help train our working people, NEP also talks about reskilling and upskilling. Catering to this need, DU, under its Competence Enhancement Scheme (CES), first of its kind in Indian universities, will provide opportunities to older people, giving them admission to update and enhance their knowledge to perform better in their work area and life. NEP, in order to enhance the quality of teaching and research, envisages a ‘cluster’ system whereby various higher educational institutions will operate in unison, and the students of one institute can move to another institute to study a particular subject or a course. DU has taken an initiative, here too, creating a ‘cluster’ model for various colleges. However, there are still many challenges for NEP to fully roll out as envisioned. Inadequacy of financial resources, problems of infrastructure, lack of Indianised vision for research, lacunae in admission pattern for PhD, a very important stage of research and coordination with foreign universities etc. are some of the glaring issues which have to be addressed sooner than later. But overall, DU has implemented NEP-2020 well-designed to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century, in the best possible manner. It will prove to be a model for other higher educational institutions of the country. The writer is Dean of Planning and the Member, NEP Cell at University of Delhi. He has taught earlier in various American universities. He tweets @NiranjanKIndia. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .