Question : New Education Policy for North East Region

(a) whether the Government has introduced any new changes in the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP-2020) keeping North-East region in mind;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the status of implementation of NEP 2020 in the country?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

(DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) to (b): The implementation of previous policies on education has focused largely on issues of access and equity. The unfinished agenda of the National Policy on Education 1986, modified in 1992 (NPE 1986/92), is appropriately dealt in the National Education Policy(NEP) 2020. NEP, 2020 recognizes that new education policy must provide to all students, irrespective of their place of residence, a quality education system, with particular focus on historically marginalized, disadvantaged, and underrepresented groups. Education is a great leveler and is the best tool for achieving economic and social mobility, inclusion, and equality. Initiatives must be in place to ensure that all students from such groups, despite inherent obstacles, are provided various targeted opportunities to enter and excel in the educational system
(c): As per National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), implementation of the Policy requires multiple initiatives and actions, which will have to be taken by different bodies including Ministry of Education, Union and State Governments, education-related Ministries, State Departments of Education, the regulatory bodies of school and higher education, in a synchronized and systematic manner. Accordingly, Ministry has written to all its implementing agencies, regulatory bodies, State/UT Governments, other stakeholder Ministries/Departments, etc for taking steps for implementation of NEP 2020.
In this direction, a number of initiatives have been taken by the Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), other relevant Ministries/Departments, State/UT Governments and other stakeholders towards implementation of NEP 2020 for enhancing the quality of education at all levels.
Ministry has inter-alia launched several initiatives under NEP, 2020 like Vidya-Pravesh – School Preparation Module; Indian Sign Language as a Subject at secondary level; NISHTHA 2:0 (National Initiative for School Heads'' and Teachers'' Holistic Advancement) for Secondary Teachers; SAFAL (Structured Assessment for Analysing Learning Levels); Online Module on AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Public Awareness; Setting up of Academic Bank of Credit; Guidelines on Multiple Entry/Exit in Academic Programmes offered in Higher Education Institutions; 1st Year Engineering Programmes in Regional Languages; Guidelines for Internationalisation of Higher Education; etc.
To address the issue of limited access due to language barrier, JEE (Mains) and NEET (UG) conducted in 13 languages, first year degree programme to be made available in 13 languages on MOOCs. To promote flexibility of courses and multiple Entry/Exit, Academic Bank of Credit has been set up and Guidelines on Multiple Entry/Exit have been issued. To address the issue of access, regulations have been amended enabling more HEIs to offer online / ODL programmes and also offering of online course component has been increased from 20% to 40% in a degree programme. For internationalisation of Higher Education, Guidelines on Internationalisation have been issued. Initiative of NEAT to provide the best-developed ed-tech solutions to enhance youth employability has been started.

*******