Revolutionize education!

Education, they say, is the passport to a better future.

Among the many aspects that desperately need a facelift, India is a nation that has made it a priority to transform itself into a powerhouse of universal knowledge. This is evident from the Union Cabinet’s sweeping decision to approve the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which seeks to revolutionize various aspects of the existing education system in the country by replacing the two policies put in place in the 1968s. and 1986, making it the main education policy of the 21st century.

The NEP 2020 envisions the creation of an education system in which the curriculum and pedagogy of our educational institutions enable learners to develop a deep sense of admiration for the constitutional values ​​and fundamental duties that our nation represents, thereby instilling immense pride in being Indian, in the student community.

The NEP seeks to focus on facets of flexibility, multidisciplinary education, critical thinking, ethical values, basic understanding of concepts, synergy of programs at all levels of education, promoting the integrity, transparency and efficiency of resources and highlighting the role of teachers and university faculties at the heart of the learning process and the holistic development of learners, among others, with a view to transforming the country’s education sector by 2040.

NEP 2020 objectifies reform on the following fronts: early childhood care and education, revision of the Right to Education Act 2009, curriculum framework, National Research Foundation, governance of the education, promotion of professional training courses, reforms of school examinations, regulatory structure and the accreditation of higher education institutions by creating the NHERA (National Higher Education Regulatory Authority) and separating the NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) from UGC (University Grants Commission) into an autonomous body.

In this regard, the Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant, who holds the education portfolio in the state, has stated that the Goa government is ready to adopt the NEP 2020, albeit in a phased manner with the constitution of two working group committees. — one each at school level and at higher education level. However, the larger question remains, there is no certainty whether the government in Goa is prepared to actually implement this revolutionary policy and ensure that it works.

Goa government has affirmed that its education related departments such as Directorate of Education, Directorate of Higher Education, Directorate of Technical Education and others have already started their preparatory works towards the realization of the said objective through a multitude of its restrictions. The Chief Minister also took to his Twitter account to state that Goa will implement and replicate NEP 2020 “best practices” which could not be implemented earlier due to the sudden onset of the COVID pandemic and the restrictions that have come with it. .

It is the need of the hour to replace this 30+ year old program and to facilitate student exposure to modern facets of education.

The state has already set an optimistic footing by introducing coding and robotics into the curriculum of grades VI to VIII in several schools where more than 500 odd school computer teachers have already received the required training, thus making Goa the first state in the country to introduce and officially launch a robotics program for its learners.

That’s not all! The state has also upped its ICT (information and communication tools) game by inches in a host of schools and colleges where learning is now done digitally.

With the introduction of the NEP 2020, which looks very promising with regard to the modernization of education, one can only hope that the administrative powers of the state will leave no stone unturned to bring the education sector from Goa to new heights.