[WEBCAST] Reimagining Schools: NEP’s Vision of 21st Century Education
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The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) promises to bring massive reforms to India’s education system which faces long-standing challenges of scarcely funded institutions and poor learning outcomes. The policy, a culminating result of several rounds of consultations with government bodies and experts, sets itself a target of transforming the school and higher education systems in India by the year 2040.
In the last three decades since NEP 1986, education in India has seen a slew of changes, school enrolments have significantly improved and drop-out rates have been brought down. Interventions through programmes such as the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and the Mid-day Meal Scheme have helped address the nutrition needs of early childhood education. However, experts believe, in the race to bridge the access gap, India’s educational institutions have been unable to deliver on the quality front and learning has taken a back seat. NEP 2020 comes at a time when India has experienced digital infrastructure gaps in education during the pandemic. The policy does well in recognising this challenge and aims to eliminate the digital divide by promoting artificial intelligence and digital learning.
The proposed National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education and a National Assessment Centre are positive steps that are likely to impact existing classroom pedagogy, curriculums and assessment patterns. On the curriculum front, the policy emphasises synergy from Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) to higher secondary segments and aims to encourage students to acquire critical 21st-century skills. It also promotes, wherever possible, the use of mother tongue or local language as the medium of instruction until Grade 5.
While NEP 2020 lays out a promising target, its implementation falls on the shoulders of state governments. Going forward, what factors will determine the effective implementation of these reforms? What impact will the new curriculum and assessment structures have on school education? How is teacher training a critical aspect of the NEP 2020? How can state governments leverage the power of technology to reduce the access gap? Join us for a discussion on the proposed reforms in the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) and the way ahead for school education in India with Dr Wilima Wadhwa, Director, ASER Centre, Dr Ameeta Mulla Wattal, Principal, Springdales School, New Delhi and Mr Sridhar Rajagopalan, Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer, Educational Initiatives. The discussion will be chaired by Mr Saurabh Tanja, CEO, The Akanksha Foundation.
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This programme will be live-streamed on Zoom and Facebook. Viewers can post questions in the comments during the live stream.
Dr Wilima Wadhwa is the Director of the ASER Centre. She has been associated with ASER since its inception in 2005 and is the architect of the ASER survey and other primary research studies currently being undertaken by ASER Centre. She has been a member of various government and international committees, including the Questionnaire Expert Group for PISA and PISA-D. Dr Wadhwa teaches statistics and econometrics at the University of California (Irvine), and the Indian Statistical Institute (New Delhi).
Dr Ameeta Mulla Wattal is the Principal of Springdales School Pusa Road and Kirti Nagar, New Delhi. Dr Wattal also serves as the Chairperson of the Global Inclusive Education Network (GIEN). She has been closely associated with the National Advisory Committee Inclusive Education and the National Progressive School’s Conference. Dr Wattal has worked extensively in the areas of education, creative arts, special needs education, peace studies and curriculum development among others. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Teachers Award and the Endeavour Award.
Sridhar Rajagopalan is the Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer of Educational Initiatives. Mr Rajagopalan has co-founded Eklavya School Ahmedabad, ranked recently among the top 15 schools in the country. He has been a Board Member of Central Square Foundation, New Delhi and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Pratham, Gujarat since 2002.
Saurabh Taneja is the CEO of The Akanksha Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to impact the lives of low-income children, enabling them to maximize their potential and transform their lives. Before joining the Akanksha Foundation, Saurabh worked with Bodh Shiksha Samiti, UNICEF and the Government of Rajasthan on large-scale school transformation projects and key education policies.
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