Fabrication of The Draft National Education Policy with Educational Psychology into an Integrated Model to Facilitate Children with Learning Difficulties- An Exploratory Approach

Fabrication of The Draft National Education Policy with Educational Psychology into an Integrated Model to Facilitate Children with Learning Difficulties- An Exploratory Approach

Roseline Florence Gomes, PhD Scholar (Psychology), Christ (Deemed to be University)

Abstract

This paper aims at understanding the positive aspect of NEP draft that gives a dynamic view on school education. It stresses on the importance of children and the need to equip educators with personal and professional skills to channelize the learning patterns of elementary school pupils. A comparative approach is used through systematic review where the goals of National Education Policy Draft is integrated with the contemporary approaches of interventions used by educational psychologists. The article concludes at varied criticisms of the draft that is perceived as unrealistic by the general public. It also reflects on future scope to collaborate professionals to structure policies for a progressive educative uplifting environment.

Keywords: National Education Policy & Educational Psychology

Introduction and Scope

National Education Policy draft was submitted on 15^th December came to the public forefront on 1^st June 2019 for careful scrutiny by the people. This voluminous draft has led to the division of its content into aspects that focuses on transforming education to promote an equitable vibrant knowledge society. The key recommendations in terms of modification of the system that included three parts, type I research universities with 150-300 institutions and 5000-25000 students. Type II teaching universities with 1000-2000 institutions and 5000-25000 students and type III with undergraduate colleges with 5000-10000 institutions and 2000-5000 students. The motive is to promote individualized institutions. An initiation of type I, II and III institutions to integrate Bachelors of Education Program for 4 years with the establishment of NRF (National Research Foundation) that will function to grant competitive funding for outstanding research proposals across all disciplines. There would also be a replacement of institutional roles as UGC will be replaced by NHERA (National Higher Education Regulatory) and all educational bodies will be transformed to Professional Standard Setting Bodies (PSSB). If the draft is accepted it will be the third policy applied in the education system of India.

The draft Policy thus offers for reforms at all stages of education from school to higher education. It pursues to raise the emphasis on early childhood care, restructure the current exam system, reinforce teacher training, and streamline the education supervisory framework.  It also seeks to customise a National Education Commission, increase public investment in education, support the use of technology and increase attention on vocational and adult education, among others.  

This article aims at understanding a comparison with the formal education initiatives in the NEP draft policy 2019 with the contemporary approaches to promote special education interventions in terms of educational psychology. The draftintegrates childhood education for all children between 3-6 years by 2025 and progression of foundational literacy and numeracy for the 5^th graders. Integrated and flexible curriculum through appropriate curricular pedagogical framework can also be enhanced by collaboration of vocational and academic skills. The policy envisages adequate space for teachers to create and transact courses in higher education, and insists on the continued allocation of public funds to strengthen the educational system. There is also the contraction of teaching profession with its diverse mechanisms of qualification guidelines with professional development.  The policy reflects an effective governance that focuses on rigorous teacher preparation with vigorous recruitment and well-defined career path. There is initiation of newer outlook and architectural facilities with greater resources and multidisciplinary institutions. The policy draftfigures out creative combinations with a motive of making professional education an integral part of higher education shouldered by empowered governance and autonomy. It categorizes separation of functions, like for example National Research Foundation have to catalyze research and innovation.

The policy promoted improvisation of the educational system with continuation of student learning levels and assessment while integrating technology to ensure teaching, learning and evaluation with based usage. This would further strategize decision making and cognitive skills among facilitators and students. Integration of vocational education is also highlighted to at least 50% of the learners by 2025. This can exercise the process of liberal education with assistance of skill enhancement. This policy aims to achieve 100% youth and adult literacy by 2030 by expansion of continuing education programs. This would catalyze the building of a framework in terms of curriculum and tutorials. Thus, cultural discipline to be liberated there must be invention of learning labs in classes which can help in evaluation of the student (Bal, 2018).

Committee detected numerous quality related deficits in the existing early childhood learning programmes.  These include lack of curriculum methods in terms of the developmental needs of children, shortage of qualified and trained teachers, and substandard pedagogy.  Hence, the draft Policy recommends developing a two-part curriculum for early childhood care and education.  This will consist of guidelines for up to three-year-old children (for parents and teachers), and educational framework for three to eight-year-old children.  There is a need by educational psychologists to formulate IEP (Individualised Education Programs) to cater to learning challenges (Bal, 2018).

Currently, the RTE (2009) Act offers for free and compulsory education to all pupils from the age of six to 14 years.  The draft Policy mentions outspreading the realm of the RTE Act to include early childhood education and secondary school education.  This would extend the coverage of the Act to all children between the ages of three to 18 years. In accumulation, the draft Policy acclaims that the current amendments to the RTE Act on continuous and comprehensive evaluation and the no detention policy must be studied. Schools must safeguard that children are achieving age-appropriate learning levels. Gillies (2014) proposed the need to collaborative engagement for the efficient delivery of programs for children with needs.

The existing construction of school education must be rationalized on the foundation of the expansive needs of students.  The Committee distinguished that the recent education system solely concentrates on rote learning of facts and procedures. Hence, it commends that the curriculum weight in each subject should be condensed to its vital core content.  This would make space for holistic, discussion and analysis-based learning (Griffey, 2015). It worked on strengths-based system to change views of children in learning sessions, The Committee distinguished that the contemporary board examinations force schoolchildren to focus only on a few subjects and it does not assess formative learning. Further, it recommends restructuring the board examinations to test only core concepts, skills and higher order capacities. The draft Policy mentions that numerouscommunity schools should be organized to form a school complex system. The school systems will also include vocational education facilities a semi-autonomous unit providing integrated education across all stages from early childhood to secondary education.  This will ensure that resources such as infrastructure and trained teachers can be efficiently shared across a school complex.  Therefore, educators should confirm distinguished schoolroom actions and be flexible in familiarizing diverse meta-cognitive strategies that inspires self-directing, self-monitoring and self-assessment so that students have opportunity to involve in tasks suitable to their capability, requirements and level for effective teaching and learning (Ellah, 2018). This help in developing self-learners who have the ability to plan their study process for the rest of their learning periods.

The draft Policy moves towards a liberal approach by making undergraduate programmes interdisciplinary by reshaping their curriculum to include a common core curriculum and one/two areas of specialisation.The work-allocation model has advanced over the years to assimilatevariations to special educational needs policy and changes inside Local Authority practice (Higgins, 2018). Thus, efficient teachers are needed to facilitate sessions through motivation. Researchers merged multiple senses in the learning process that was transformed to meet the precise needs of students (Anjum, 2019). So continuous professional development program is needed to formulate an optimal learning space for children and work on pedagogic strategies.Thus, technology-based education through the use of computer assisted technology should be incorporated This can develop self-evaluation among teachers leading to preparation and an ongoing professional development. Further it can channelize cognitive functions of planning, decision making and evaluation among facilitators. Goksu et al. (2016) developed a comprehensive software instrument to be used in the education of scholars who need special education. The software was intended for smart devices such as smart phones and tablets. Scholars who are cerebrally handicapped can benefit using this software for a wide-ranging learning session or as a subsidiary tool. The software was established on Android platform.

Conclusion

The Draft National Education Policy 2019 was criticized on the basis that it failed to visualise the essential role of education in the Indian society in accordance with the constitutional values. The draft does not analyse the current education system realistically. It provides dangerous centralisation and failed to recognize the federal Indian structure (V.P Niranjanaradhya, 2019). Taneja (2019) figured that there was no separate funding in terms of channelizing the educational activities. In terms of the positive outlook in the draft there is the learning design motivated to stimulate a favourable environment set-up by initiating peer tutoring and remedial sessions. Remedial instructional aid programs by instructors can curb learning problems. Maximum remediation interventions can focus on refiningacademic acts (Cleland, 2013). Through planned pedagogy the emotional, psycho-social and cognitive skills of the child can be liberated by making teaching session experiential, discussion-bases, critical reasoning and build interpersonal relations. 

References

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Bal, A. A. (2018). Culturally responsive school discipline: Implementing Learning Lab at a High School for systematic transformation. American Educational Research Journal, 1007-1050.

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Ellah, N. a. (2018). Meta-cognitive awareness and study process of senior secondary school science students of low cognitive ability level. journal of research in curriculum and teaching, 161-180.

Griffey, W. &. (2015). The strength based approach to educational psychology practice: A critic from social constructionist and syatemic perspectives. Educational Psychology in practice, 43-55.

Higgins, M. a. (2018). A developing educational psychology service work- allocation model. educational psychology in practice, 208-221.