Essay on the Impacts of Draft NEP policy on Psychology (2019)
Impacts of Draft National Education Policy (2019) on the field of Psychology
This paper on the draft National Education Policy (2019) analyzing the possible implications of its implementation on the field of psychology and psychologists in education settings. My approach to this document is shaped by my position as a student of Psychology since 2011 and a research scholar since 2019. It is also moulded by my interest in psychology and upbringing the practice side of this discipline in schools and other areas of education.
This 484-page draft includes people representing different educational ideologies and ideas, different social and cultural backgrounds, and from different regions of the country, a range truly reflective of the diversity of our nation. It has also included many people who came from different walks of lives and has been dealing deeply with the issues of education in our country (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 23). This policy seems to be a new and far-sighted with few drawbacks to the field of psychology too.
NEP is quite challenging, sophisticated and complex vastly covering from early childhood care and education to higher education incorporating basic principles of psychology as protective factors. It is relevant and has tried to acknowledge the diversities and is yet inclusive (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 24).
The policy incorporates the idea that education must result in the 'full development of the human personality' which is also one of the core principles of psychology. This has also reflected in an influential report by UNESCO (1996), titled 'Learning: The Treasure Within'. This report argued that education throughout life was based on four pillars: i) Learning to know; ii) Learning to do; iii) Learning to live together, and iv) Learning to be. Similarly, a psychologist or a mental health professional to emphasize the holistic development of students by nurturing the creative potential of each individual with keeping education as the main component in mind.
A trained psychologist who closely works with students will most likely focus on developing not only cognitive skills – both 'foundational skills' of literacy and numeracy and 'higher-order' cognitive skills - critical thinking and problem-solving skills - but also soci0-emotional skills, such as empathy, perseverance and grit, teamwork and leadership, among others. This is referred to as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the NEP, which are also the competencies acquired by most children and adults according to psychology. Cognitive scientists who are closely working are in deep engagement with the idea that these social and emotional competencies have to be acquired by all learners and they should become more academically, socially and emotionally competent. Thus, the psychologists and counsellors who intend to work with children must recognise that it is imperative to conceive education in a more encompassing manner, and this should inform and therefore will guide in reforming and reorientation of the contents and processes of education(Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 25).
The aim of education in ancient India was not just the acquisition of knowledge, as preparation for life in this world or for life beyond schooling, but for complete realisation and liberation of the self which is similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This is a motivational theory in psychology encompassing a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels in a pyramid. The primary needs in the lowest tier in the hierarchy must be fulfilled before individuals can attend to needs higher up. The hierarchy of needs from bottom to top are as follows physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization (McLeod, 2007). Thus, this is the primary idea of a psychologist who works in close circles with students in educational settings.
Similarly, according to Plato, Eudaimonia was the highest and ultimate aim for both moral thought and behaviour while Socrates defined it is as a virtue, (justice, courage, piety etc) a form of knowledge, the 'ultimate good' (Moore, 2019) similar to the concept of self – actualization by Maslow. This is because in today's society not just to philosophers or to psychologists, but to communities, organizations, and educators who work with students aim to strive eudaimonia i.e., to achieve authenticity; excellence; meaning; and growth both in students and in teachers as well. NEP details that knowledge will be transformative because of the manner in which it will be connected to all domains (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 28).
None of this will be possible without passionate and committed teachers and psychologists in higher education institutions who will be in charge of transforming the education system as foreseen in this Policy. For this, they also need to be adequately prepared. Teacher preparation, orientation and training will, thus, move into the higher education sector, into multidisciplinary environments available at universities. The contributions of teachers to all aspects of improving the education system, through teaching, research, institution building, student empowerment and such other aspects will be recognised(Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 31).
Part 1: School and higher education
Early Childhood Care and Education: The Foundation of Learning
NEP suggests that every child in the age range of 3-6 years must be mandatorily given access to free, high quality, safe, and developmentally appropriate care and education by 2025. The current policy categorises early childhood care and education (ECCE) as part of the Foundational stage of school education (3 years of pre-primary education and Grades 1 and 2), a single curricular and pedagogical phase of discovery-based and play-based learning for very young children, between the ages of 3-8 years (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 28).
Psychologists and developmental paediatricians continually elaborate on the fact that learning processes for a child commence immediately at birth. A famous developmental psychologist who is known for his theory of intellectual/cognitive development is the greatest evidence from the field of psychology that children from birth build their own knowledge based on their experiences, they learn things on their own without influence from older children or adults and that they are motivated to learn by observing nature around them. Adding to this, NEP also supports borrowing pieces of evidence from neuroscience which shows that over 85% of a child's majority of the brain development occurs prior to the age of 6, thus indicating the critical importance of developmentally appropriate stimulation and care in a child's early years to promote healthy and sustained brain growth and development. Excellent care, nurture, nutrition, physical activity, psychosocioemotional environment, and to cognitively stimulate the child during the first 6 years are thus considered extremely critical for ensuring proper brain development and, consequently, desired learning curves in a person's lifetime (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 45). Also, psychologists play a pivotal role in pre-primary levels when certain parents do not take attending school seriously. This leads to a tragic deficiency in grade school-preparedness which distinguishes the advantaged from the disadvantaged groups. This is because students from more advantaged families have greater access to role models, language fluency, reading materials in the school, and strong learning environments at home, in addition to better nutrition, healthcare, and of course access to pre-school education (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, pp. 46 - 47).
Similarly, higher education aims to serve as a centre for developing ideas and innovations that enlighten individuals and help projectile the country forward in social, science and technological, in arts and culture, and economic areas. Psychologists aim to train students to find skilled jobs of a creative and multidisciplinary nature as more and more young Indians are aspiring to pursue higher education. At the level of society, the aim of higher education must be to enable the development of an enlightened, socially conscious, knowledgeable, and skilled nation that can uplift its people, and construct and implement robust solutions to its own problems. Therefore, these would be undeniably the competencies that will separate humans from robots (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, pp. 201 - 202). Professional education, especially in mental health, is the need of an hour, as also suggested by NEP which will be an integral part of higher education (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 213).
Curriculum framework
Kasturirangan et al., (2019) acknowledges the differences in the development of cognitive abilities in children. The flexibility in the first 5 years will allow equalising of the several cognitive abilities of children. This is then followed by a Preparatory phase consisting of 3 years (Grades 3, 4 and 5) of basic education integrating with some textbooks as well as aspects of more formal classroom learning. However, psychologists who better understands Piagetian theory appreciates that children learn through pretend play, but they struggle with logic and taking the point of view of other people. They also often struggle with understanding the idea of constancy. Therefore, school psychologists and teachers can enable exposure to languages, numbers, and simple problem-solving activities. The next 3 years of Middle school education (Grades 6, 7 and 8) would involve developing more abstract thinking and subject teaching leading up to Self-help skills (such as "getting ready on one's own"), motor skills, cleanliness, the handling of separation anxiety, being comfortable around one's peers, moral development (such as knowing the difference between "right" and "wrong"), physical development through movement and exercise, expressing and communicating thoughts and feelings to parents and others sitting for longer periods of time in order to work on and complete a task, and generally forming all-round good habits. Secondary education phase of 4 years (Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12). Piaget's concrete operational stage resembles a similar path where children in this stage are more logical and methodical in manipulation of symbols; they tend to be less egocentric and are more aware of the outside world and events. The last phase of 4 years of secondary school education will facilitate multidisciplinary studies with appropriate exit options besides preparing for the next phase of the undergraduate programme of study, including an early introduction to Liberal Arts education (p. 28). The task for a psychologist/a counsellor in schools/colleges/universities is extremely crucial here to effectively facilitate the transformation from one phase to the next phase of the education system which should also be Nationally and Internationally important and relevant (p. 250). It helps in facilitating the entry of international students and researchers (p. 251) and to have great research collaborations (p. 252) with renowned institutions from India and abroad.
School/college/university exam reforms
Kasturirangan et al., (2019) have urged that assessments should consider every student's innate talents, which must be discovered, nurtured, fostered, and developed by teachers with the help of exclusive assessments are done by schools/colleges/universities which are likely to show positive learning outcomes. More explicitly, the probable outcomes here must include deeper learning, problem-solving, critical thinking abilities, mastery of content, higher order thinking, communication skills and teamwork apart from just general engagement and enjoyment of learning. Even though such conclusive assessments are yet to be available through studies, including systematic research in India, the available assessments elsewhere are persuasive enough to introduce Liberal Education at the undergraduate level for preparing students to navigate their way into the future with a variety of employment scenarios as well as many other roles they will play in their professions (p. 30). Collective assessment and adoption of technology solutions may make various psychometric tools easily accessible to teachers and students. Psychologists help support the development of a vibrant body of knowledge and especially in clinical practice to help students pursue psychology as a profession in the most ethical way possible (p. 344).
Teacher and evaluation management
Teacher transfer/deployment, language barriers, lack of understanding of play-based, student-based learning, individualized attention may affect students psychologically and in turn their interest in education itself (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, pp. 56 & 115). Teacher education is severely lacking and certainly in a crisis at the present time. Psychologists can train teachers with specific skills to in turn train students using the concept through "Learning Without Burden" (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 77). Psychologists are striving harder than ever before to train teachers to be open to possible psychological/mental health problems children may face, awareness of the factors of low grades need for life-skills training, the role of shadow teaching and remediation (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, pp. 56 - 57). Psychologists help teachers in tailor-making the classes for children with special needs – such as Specific Learning Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hyperkinetic disorder, Mental Retardation, other psychological disorders viz – a – viz anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and the like (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 114). NEP argues that inclusion of children with special needs in regular school is one of the priority areas of action which will be to continue to mainstream them in the neighbourhood school by supporting their participation in the schooling process from the fundamental stage (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 154) but a psychological perspective retrieves this data slightly different because there are other aspects to inclusivity. Commonly known possibilities in inclusive education for children are that it may create a lot of anxiety in children when everyone else in the classroom is progressing while they remain behind, chances of being bullied, not having enough skills to stand up for themselves etc.
Similarly, psychologists ought to prepare teachers in self-directed personal development and life skills training. Therefore, teachers-in-training would thereby be able to interact with peers from other disciplines and be taught by faculty in allied disciplines of education such as psychology, child development, and social sciences - making them that much stronger as teachers when they graduate (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, pp. 133 & 136). The current policy also aims to have professionalisation of high-quality educators for early childhood education (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 52).
Additionally, the development of capacities that promote student wellness – such as good health, psycho-social well-being, and sound ethical grounding – is also necessary for high-quality learning (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 239). According to the new NEP policy, all institutions should ensure occupational readiness in their students but must provide adequate space for practice, especially for emerging psychologists. Similarly, psychological support for students through counselling services, therapy, and treatment in cases of mental illness or distress must be made available (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, pp. 243 - 245). The policy also elaborates on B.Ed. programmes to educate future teachers, in collaboration with other departments including a paper on psychology, counselling, child development and neuroscience (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 284).
Psychologists play a major role in challenges faced by faculties as they lack the motivation to pursue teaching because of too many faculty members are appointed on a temporary basis, with low salaries and/or insecurity, heavy teaching loads (often as much as 36 hours a week), with high student-teacher ratios in each class (sometimes higher than 50 to 1), leaving little time for adequate class preparation or proper student interaction, let alone time for research or other university activities and service and lack of career management and thus psychologists help train teachers on the following - faculty empowerment, career progression or performance management, and institutional leadership to motivate, energise, and incentivise to spend their energies on achieving personal and institutional excellence in teaching, research, and service to their communities (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, pp. 256 - 257).
The importance of having a school psychologists in regulatory bodies of the schools
The current policy allows psychologists and mental health professionals the opportunities to incorporate mental health (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 56) and wellness programs (emotional regulation, empathy) into the curriculum starting at the Foundational stage (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 92). Most students drop out of schools because in grade 1 they lack school-preparedness, i.e., the background of early childhood care and learning including pre-literacy and pre-numeracy (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 56); problem-solving and logical reasoning (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 92); ethical and moral reasoning(Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 95) etc. The lack of importance of parental participation especially psychologically is quite deficient (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 63). Psychologists also work towards ensuring emotional security and teaches students the opportunities to report i.e., zero-tolerance policy towards breaches of child's rights specifically emotional safety which is not quite evident to everyone unless spoken about (Kasturirangan et al., 2019, p. 69).
Kasturirangan et al., (2019) also talk about educating girls as a cross-cutting theme as it has been the major priority for most of child welfare committees. Alongside, it is also prudent to work on female-only toilets with the availability of menstrual hygiene and the uses of it (p. 147). Gender sensitisation in schools and colleges through entitlements for girls and women including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Prohibition of Child marriage act, the Maternity Benefit Act and the Sexual harassment of women at workplace (prevention Prohibition and redressal act) are extremely important (p. 148). The biggest challenge for psychologists is education for transgender students amongst other children and sometimes even for teachers to treat them equally. Psychologists work towards removing the stigma and the discrimination they face in their lives including respect to education and to create a safe and supportive school/college/university environments which do not violate their constitutional rights both from their fellow classmates and unfortunately even from teachers (p. 153).
NEP suggests that psychologists work alongside as they help students work through from career guidance to mental health issues (bullying, psychological problems to severe clinical psychological disorders). Psychologists address the following areas as well,
a. counselling the choices of subjects in secondary grades and in higher education leading to potential occupations
b. support and counselling on age-related growth and developmental issues especially during the adolescent years
c. support and counselling on mental health issues including stress and mood disorders
To make such therapeutic services available there are other challenges such as taking into account the practicality of carrying it out. Therefore, wherever possible and as long as it does not violate the ethical boundaries of a psychologist, they develop training modules for some of the teachers or social workers to be able to play the role of counsellors, however, it is only conducive and credible to appoint full-time psychologists/counsellors and to arrange for psychologists/counsellors to visit schools/colleges/universities frequently. This counselling support should also be able to identify cases requiring clinical mental health support and must have the tie-ups necessary to provide adequate emotional and mental support (p. 163)
Challenges faced by psychologists in academic settings which have not been definitively addressed by the new Draft NEP policy (2019)
1. Burnout – lack of an adequate number of psychologists in academic settings, the ratio of students per psychologists exceed 1:500 – 700. All other problems psychologists face culminate and therefore becomes an overarching challenge to them.
2. Overwhelming responsibilities – psychologists who work in academic settings are experts in mental health behaviour, however, the problem is they do not have enough time to perform their duties as they lack assistance. They regularly deal with students with intellectual/cognitive disabilities, behavioural/temperamental/personality issues, family/environmental issues, suicidal behaviours, bullying etc. that affect their disposition as psychologists.
Standardized testing sets in a lot of stress on students to perform well, and when children face difficulty in focusing or lacks the attention they need, thus, their attitude suffers.
3. Budget cuts - Psychologists have been trained to do crisis prevention and intervention, counselling, wide planning including academy support and parent education instead they mostly deal with the aftermath of budget shortfalls where prevention and proactive efforts suffer.
4. Changing responsibilities – Educational institutes use fewer psychometric testing tools for learning disabilities and behavioural problems but suffer when the diagnosis is made by a clinical psychologist outside the realm of the organization.
5. Advances in technology – Students these days are more tech-savvy with social media connecting students around the clock. The instances of cyberbullying have increased over time requiring more attention from psychologists. Psychologists have to develop cyber etiquette training and consultation methods involving safety in electronics and making good choices when using the internet.
6. Lack of mental health screening tools
7. Lack of acceptance and heightened scepticism from teachers that psychologists are quintessential in an academic setting - People seem to be exceedingly sceptical of scientific findings despite the fact that there are incredible scientific breakthroughs. Teachers, parents, students, policymakers, and other practitioners fail to give psychologists the respect they deserve to implement life-changing and organization-protecting measures.
8. A great need for psychologists in all educational organizations - There has never been such a greater need for psychologists in academic settings. This pressure mounts to do everything they can to protect students with limited resources and must be addressed by the new NEP policy.
References
Kasturirangan, K., Kamat, V., Kannanthanam, A., Bhargava, M., Kureel, R. S., Kittimani, T. V., … Shamsu, S. T. (2019). Draft National Education Policy.
McLeod, S. (2007). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology, 1.
Moore, C. (2019). What is Eudaimonia? Aristotle and Eudaimonic Well-Being, Positive Psychology.
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