Impact of Draft National Education Policy in Physics
A comprehensive draft of the National Education Policy (NEP) for India proposed by a committee chaired by K. Kasturirangan has been formulated. The policy focuses on the educational improvements required in both rural and urban India. It covers an upliftment of education from pre-primary to research regardless of any discipline. The transformative change in NEP demands urgent action in every aspect of education in India. The policy is formulated for young India to learn, to do, to live together and to build a society. However, as an amateur physicist, it can be observed that certain ideas of NEP propose a high impact in this particular discipline. NEP covers every aspect of the educational sector: school, higher, vocational and adult education.
The reinforcement of the public system's commitment providing quality early childhood care and education to all children of 3-18 years old, the policy suggests a new scheme of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) which is included as an integral part of the Right To Education (RTE) Act. The pedagogical framework of ECCE provides a foundation for literacy in academics, skill development, quantitative thinking, social responsibility, ethical reasoning, and digital knowledge. The redefinition of methods of learning and providing knowledge suggested in NEP helps in the development of a scientific community. The major suggestion of NEP in this era of technology is fast access to information. Information regarding science, arts, humanities, current affairs, etc may help to choose the desired discipline and move forward in that field. The desire to select a particular field in higher studies are developed only from school education.
The improvements in the new drafted version of NEP helps one to decide which field he/she have to select. While studying all subjects, they have an opportunity to know various fields. A solid foundation is laid in arithmetic, logical thinking, problem-solving, etc which are the key feature required to become a physicist. Good and motivational tutoring will also enhance the ability of a student to choose a specific discipline. The teaching quality will express the student's achievement irrespective of any field. But if the tutoring is inspirational and shows opportunity in a particular field, there is a high chance that a student can decide desired discipline.
Learning takes place not only inside but also outside the classroom. Effective parental tutoring and peer tutoring will help to build up the right mind to continue education in the desired field. Setting up a comfortable environment to study and providing necessary infrastructure will also establish a personal as well as professional development from the school education onwards. NEP also suggests getting training in emotional balance and decision making which will ensure a bright future. Along with child education, NEP proposes various schemes to enhance a healthy life. All new revision of the school education system in NEP will be omnipotent in building up the scientific community of India.
The second part of NEP revamps the Higher Education (HE) system of India. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is currently an accreditation body under UGC. The NEP recommends separating NAAC from UGC into an autonomous body. Thus once separated, the NAAC will have the authority to assess higher educational institutions in India. Thus by 2030, all existing higher educational institutions should be accredited. This will pave a way for new careers in Physics in the form of both job opportunities and research. Along with accreditation, institutions will get autonomy in academics, administration, and finance. It will help institutions to provide high-quality educational output.
The new NEP draft proposes that instead of the current uni-disciplinary educational system, the structure of higher education is to be changed into a multidisciplinary system. It is an approach of integration of different disciplines and diverse perspective to redefine existing knowledge and reach a solution based on a new understanding of complex situations. Thus, if the under graduation and post-graduation become multidisciplinary, it would benefit not only the student but also the whole educational system. For example, the person interested in Physics will take up an undergrad course with multiple core subjects each from science, arts, and humanities. This will help to decide which field they fit into. Further in a Physics post-graduation course, there will be multidisciplinary topics such as mathematics, chemistry, computer science, etc. Hence it is an opportunity for students to have knowledge about different subjects and to decide whether to choose a profession or to do research.
The innovative idea of multidisciplinary will also enhance the quality of research in our country. The current draft of NEP emphasizes the introduction of multi discipline in research for innovative outcomes. In research, especially in Physics, the inter-disciplinary work put forward very relevant and application-level results. Such researches will benefit society and the economy which is the primary aim of NEP while introducing a multidisciplinary system. These can be achieved by moving multidisciplinary courses to universities and colleges which will bring flexibility and individuality into learning programs.
Another important factor mentioned in NEP is the concept of liberal arts education. The tradition of liberal arts and education has been started from ancient Indian universities such as Takshashila and Nalanda. The same concept is being planned to implant in our current educational system. The liberal arts education focuses not only on the core topics but also on some arts. It will help to enhance one's creative thinking and communication skills. To enable the overall transformation, it should have a common core curriculum, a major specialization in one or two fields and a minor specialization. The new atmosphere of education and research will expose students to local, state and national communities.
Along with effective learning, NEP suggests other innovative schemes. Effective teaching and learning practises will ensure academic, physical, emotional and career support. Massive online open courses will help to compete with international standards and prepare students to think and work globally. Also, the liberal arts educational system may cause professionalism and internationalism in the current education system. As for Physics, competency is a major factor. NEP focuses not only on student development but also intent to provide highly competent faculty with excellence in teaching and research.
References :
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M. Resource Human Development, "National education policy, 2019," Minist. Educ. Gov.India, pp. 1–71, 2019.
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https://thewire.in/education/national-education-policy-draft-2019
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https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/95157/1/MPRA_paper_95157.pdf
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http://www.prsindia.org/report-summaries/draft-national-education-policy-2019
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https://www.thehindu.com/education/draft-national-education-policy-proposes/
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