Impact of NEP 2019 on Psychology

The National Education Policy 2019 has been put forth with the intention of making education in India more "India-centric". What exactly does that mean? It strives to state a point that education or a certain pedagogy cannot be merely imitated from the West but ideally, must cater to the demands and needs of the present Indian population.

 With that said, the draft National Education Policy speaks about different aspects including School Education, Higher Education, Teacher Education, Professional Education, National Research Foundation, Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog and Financing Education (K.Kasturirangan, et al., 2019) Coming from the discipline of Psychology, it is clear to witness certain theoretical perspectives that could shed light on the objective of its vision and in turn, its impact on the field of Psychology.

Under School Education, the NEP emphasizes on the "criticality of the early years". It suggests the long lasting impact education can have on the later stages of an individual. Education in early childhood establishes a foundation where the child attempts to make sense of their world. The fascinating aspect of being a child is their uninhibited sense of imagination to understand reality. But most often than not, certain education systems restrict imagination and contain themselves into a rigid wall of rationality. "The trouble is that it is difficult to think of primary education as fulfilling children's potentials according to natural predispositions and at the same time as the accumulation of knowledge from a starting point of ignorance." (Egan, 1988)  Upon realization, NEP seeks to create a curriculum that is flexible and suitable as per the age of the child like cognitive milestones put forth by Jean Piaget in 1964.  In order to achieve these milestones, it is necessary that the pedagogical structure for school education be based on the principles of brain development.

NEP insists that the foundational literacy and numeracy needs be met (K.Kasturirangan, et al., 2019) The role of the counsellor kicks in here when assessments are to be made to ensure that the progress of the students are measurable and the necessary intervention be given to the students, if necessary. India being a multi-lingual country, certain languages unavailable in the mother tongue can pose a hindrance for adequate intervention. There are several specific learning disabilities that are discovered during the assessment stage. This calls for the need for trained counsellors and special educators who will be able to create need based education plans and also create awareness among parents and caregivers. In a recent report, it was found out that out of 927 posts for special educators in Delhi, only 495 seats were taken. This poses as a real challenge because it compromises the learning of the child as well as the effort taken from the teachers. We should remind ourselves that teaching is an art. One method of teaching and learning does not always resonate with all students. It is, in itself, a constant process of learning, almost a trial – and – error. While learning occurs, reinforcements for students are essential to enhance positive behaviour. It is the duty of social workers and counsellors to help ensure retention and mental health of all children, parental participation and mobilization of the local community and volunteers to be leverages to ensure that the Policy goals related to foundational literacy and numeracy are met.

In the essay, Concerning Spiritualism and Materialism in 1864, Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach stated that a man is what he eats, implying that the food we consume can influence the state of our health and mind (Cherno, 1963) NEP intends to introduce midday meals due to the link between nutrition and education. Significant studies have shown that nutrition and academic success show a positive relationship (Glewwe, Jacoby, & King, 1999) In cases of health concerns, appropriate measures must be taken in order to help the student return to school as soon as possible, with the help of a healthcare worker, creating awareness among students, parents and community and creating easy access to healthcare.

 

When it comes to higher education, the NEP states that the 40,000+ colleges and institution present will be reduced to 15,000 large, well-resourced, vibrant multidisciplinary institutions (K.Kasturirangan, et al., 2019)Each of these institutions will incorporate innovative and flexible curriculum that could enhance fluidity across various disciplines to create lifelong learning. It is essential to create a research culture in an institution to find and share new knowledge and to be able to create an educational community. Along with research, philanthropic work is also encouraged.

Participation and learning of all children will be ensured by tracking attendance, assessing learning outcomes of all the children enrolled, tracking drop-outs and out of school children by the counsellors, teachers and social workers.  Programmes for long term out-of-school adolescents with the effort of reintegrating them back to the education system ,(K.Kasturirangan, et al., 2019)

Equality has been heavily emphasized upon in the drafted NEP (K.Kasturirangan, et al., 2019) It focuses on equal emphasis on all subjects on the basis of reducing the rigid boundaries of our education system and creating a certain flexibility which would create a conducive environment for learning. Besides the curriculum, equality in terms of gender, among the students and teachers is also given due importance. The recruitment of the teachers need to be made without compromising on the quality of education imparted and to ensure the best environment for learning, all classes need to be in the ratio of 30:1.

ECCE, Early Childhood Care and Education to be maintained, all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, policy makers and community members will be kept informed regarding the needs of the child being different from what the formal education provides. It has a strong role in lifelong development and learning. This will be achieved through direct communication and awareness campaigns.

 

It is crucial that education be accessible to all. The objective is to cater to the needs of the people, at large. NEP suggests that those who have a socioeconomic disadvantage but be made priority and be given special education, as per the requirement (K.Kasturirangan, et al., 2019) In order to progress, we need to make ourselves humble and realise that we have no intellecual property over anything. It is only fair that we share our knowledge with those around us with the purpose of moving ahead, together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Cherno, M. (1963). Feuerbach's "Man is what He Eats": A Rectification. Journal of the History of Ideas, 397-406.

Egan, K. (1988). Primary Education Understanding in Early Childhood . Routledge.

Glewwe, P., Jacoby, H., & King, E. (1999). Early Childhood Nutrition and Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Study.

K.Kasturirangan, Kamat, V., Bhargava, M., Kureel, R. S., Kattimani, T., Tripatty, K. M., . . . Shamsu, D. S. (2019). Draft National Education Policy .

Piaget, J. (1964). Cognitive Development in Children: Development and Learning . Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 176-186 .

Why are the posts of special educators remain vacant? India Today [newspaper online]. 2017 Feb 11. Available from: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/delhi-special-educators-posts-960173-2017-02-11.