Pros & Cons of New Education Policy 2020
Ever since the Union Cabinet has approved the New Education Policy 2020 on July 29, the debate about whether it is as beneficial as it looks at the instance or are there any drawbacks to it also. In this article, we will discuss some of the positives vs negatives so that we can introspect how many improvements have been made and which areas still have scope for further improvements.
Salient Features of NEP 2020
The 10+2 structure of the schools has been squashed and replaced by the 5+3+3+4 structure. This includes three years of pre-school or Anganwadi education and 12 years of primary, preparatory, middle, and secondary schooling.
Though the 10th and 12th board examinations will continue to be conducted as before, the school examinations will be held only for 5th, 8th and 12th. Also, the structure of the board exams will be reformed to focus on the core capabilities of the students, so that they are easier to crack and the students won’t need to join coaching classes in their schooling stages.
The rigid distinction among the courses that a student must choose in 11th standard has also been eliminated, making it multi-disciplinary. This implies that now one can pick chemistry with psychology, accounts, or arts as per their interest areas.
Now, these reforms will certainly bring about a positive change for the entire education system in the country and the students will be able to participate in the extra-curriculum activities and choose the subjects of their interest to study from an early stage, but there is one part of the new education policy that is raising a lot of questions by many.
The NEP 2020 states, “the mother tongue, or local, or regional language, is to be the medium of instruction in all schools upto class 5 (preferably till class 8 and beyond).”
The debate regarding how promoting regional and communal language over English can be a disadvantage for less privileged kids have been doing rounds. Agreeably, English is a language that belong to our colonizers and it was in fact, imposed on us by them when they ruled the country, but over the years, it has become a language that has given us global advantages and made us compatible among other countries because this is one language that is majorly understood around the globe. Now, since the language will take a backseat and will be introduced directly in the 6th standard, it will become difficult for the students who come from an underprivileged language as it will be an alien language to them.
This could make the internet and global education access difficult for them, thus stripping the middle class and underprivileged students from the future growth opportunities in this digital era.
On the contrary, the students from upper caste background will still have access to learning English at the early stage as the language will be a common thing at their homes and circles. Thus, this new policy will also create a rift among the student based on those who can speak English from early childhood and those who cannot.
What it comes down to is the question that why cannot we promote both our heritage languages and the English language which will give students a fair opportunity at the global platform, at the same time?
If you are also worrying about the impacts that this new policy can cause on your career goals or your kid’s educational future, then the expert team of education consultants at Your EduAdvisors is here to help you in making the right decisions for a fulfilling studies and career graph.