National Education Policy 2020: Assam Govt Decide to Upgrade 1,000 High Schools as HS Schools

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In sync with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the State Government has decided to upgrade around 1,000 high schools to higher secondary schools.

Implementation of the NEP 2020 will bring a paradigm shift in schools all over the country. According to NEP 2020, classes XI and XII will be in higher secondary schools only, not colleges. The move to upgrade around 1,000 high schools to higher secondary schools is to offset the rush of students in higher secondary schools when colleges will no longer have their courses.

Following this policy decision and the approval from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Directorate of Secondary Education is preparing a modality to upgrade high schools to higher secondary schools.

The shift involves the appointment of higher secondary teachers and other staff, the construction of new buildings for more classrooms, laboratories and other infrastructure needed for higher secondary classes.

The locations of the existing colleges have much to do in the selection of high schools to upgrade them as higher secondary schools. The high schools situated near colleges will get preference. Such schools can better offset the rush of college-going higher secondary students.

According to official sources, the Directorate is estimating the financial requirement to construct new infrastructure.\

What is National Education Policy?

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 purpose of the education system is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution.

National Education Policy 2020 at a glimpse

The fundamental principles that will guide both the education system at large, as well as the individual institutions within it are:

• recognizing, identifying, and fostering the unique capabilities of each student, by sensitizing teachers as well as parents to promote each student's holistic development in both academic and non-academic spheres;

• according the highest priority to achieving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by all students by Grade 3;

• flexibility, so that learners have the ability to choose their learning trajectories and programmes, and thereby choose their own paths in life according to their talents and interests;

• no hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams, etc. in order to eliminate harmful hierarchies among, and silos between different areas of learning;

• multidisciplinarity and a holistic education across the sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, and sports for a multidisciplinary world in order to ensure the unity and integrity of all knowledge;

• emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than rote learning and learning-for-exams;

• creativity and critical thinking to encourage logical decision-making and innovation;

• ethics and human & Constitutional values like empathy, respect for others, cleanliness, courtesy, democratic spirit, the spirit of service, respect for public property, scientific temper, liberty, responsibility, pluralism, equality, and justice;

• promoting multilingualism and the power of language in teaching and learning;

• life skills such as communication, cooperation, teamwork, and resilience;

• focus on regular formative assessment for learning rather than the summative assessment that encourages today's 'coaching culture ';

• extensive use of technology in teaching and learning, removing language barriers, increasing access for Divyang students, and educational planning and management;

• respect for diversity and respect for the local context in all curriculum, pedagogy, and policy, always keeping in mind that education is a concurrent subject;

• full equity and inclusion as the cornerstone of all educational decisions to ensure that all students are able to thrive in the education system;

• synergy in curriculum across all levels of education from early childhood care and

education to school education to higher education;

• teachers and faculty as the heart of the learning process – their recruitment, continuous

professional development, positive working environments and service conditions;

• a 'light but tight' regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency, and resource efficiency of the educational system through audit and public disclosure while encouraging innovation and out-of-the-box ideas through autonomy, good governance, and empowerment;

• outstanding research as a corequisite for outstanding education and development;

• continuous review of progress based on sustained research and regular assessment by educational experts;

New Education Policy 2020 - when will be implemented?

Assam is all set with the implementation of the National Education Policy, NEP. The state education minister, Dr Ranoj Pegu, mentioned that Assam has already started the implementation of NEP 2020.

"We have set a target to completely implement the new National Education Policy in the state by 2023. We have already informed the authorities of all colleges that Class 11 and 12 will not be in the colleges anymore. Under the new education policy, school education will end in Class 12," Ranoj Pegu said.

Also Read:   Implementing NEP-2020 poses a serious challenge

Also Watch: