Jose Syam Kumar - NEP Impact on Psychology

 

An Assignment on Impact of National Education Policy on Psychology

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submitted by

Jose Syam Kumar Bandi

Reg. No. 1950025

M.Phil – Psychology

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submitted to

Dr. Anil Joseph Pinto

The Registrar

Christ Deemed to be University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As part of the internal assessment of Foundations of Research

August 13^th 2019

Abstract

According to UNESCO, there are 282 million illiterates in India, making India the largest country with illiterate adults in the world. (Staff, 2015) Educating these millions is not just a challenge but a great threat to the country's social welfare and  economic growth. Though the post-colonial India has invested a lot of resources into educating the masses, the growth of literacy rate is still at a slower pace. In order to systematically archive the mission to educate the Indian masses the Government of India has formed the National Education Policy (NEP). There have been two NEP brought out, in 1986 and 1992 (Anonymous, 2016). After a period of 26 years under the leadership of Honourable Minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash Javdekar, the new NEP has been drafted under the leadership of K. Kasturirangan (Kasturirangan, 2019). The new draft is a compressive presentation of the present educational practices and proposes the ways and means in creating a better education system in India. The assignment looks at the Higher Education in particular on the vision for the future concept of Universities and colleges in India. New draft NEP proposes multidisciplinary Higher Educational Institutions enrolling a larger number of students and dividing instructions into categories of Type 1, 2 and 3. In particular, this work highlights the impact of the new NEP on the discipline of Psychology.

Introduction

Nelson Mandela once said: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" (Duncan, 2013). Since 1881, when the first census of India was taken till date, it can be observed that literacy rate in India has been increasing but very slowly (Nayak & Nurullah, 1974). 72 years of Independent India, is yet to achieve its 100% literacy rate. As Robert Frost wrote: 'Miles to go before I sleep, Miles to go before I sleep' (Lathem, 1969), the mission to make India fully literate country is still a dream to be achieved. The present overall literacy rate in India is only 74.04% (Singh, 2016), while the average literacy rate around the world is 86.3% (Roser & Ortiz, 2018). Though India can be proud to be the birthplace of great scholars in history and in present time, with great universities like Nalanda and Thakshasila, there are still millions who need to be educated and provided with the winds of knowledge to fly. The need for educating the masses cannot be emphasized enough. Education makes people free from the clutches of ignorance. Rabindranath Tagore prayed for heaven where India would one day be lead to. He wrote: "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,…where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit, where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action, into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake" . The role of education could be the road to that heaven that Rabindranath Tagore dreamt of.

In order to achieve the education of Indian masses, the Nation Education Policy was formulated. The National Education Policy was first formulated in 1986 and was revised in 1990. Since then there has been a need to revise the National Education Policy so the present National Education Policy has been drafted. On December 15^th 2018, the Chairman of Committee for Draft National Educational Policy, K. Kasturirangan presents the National Education Policy to the Honourable Minister of HRD, Prakash Javadekar. According to K. Kasturirangan, the policy was founded on the guiding goals of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability. The committee looked at the sector in a single organic continuum from pre-school to higher education and also touched on the related sectors that form part of the larger picture. One of the main objectives of the NEP is it is that children and youth in the country are equipped with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values as well as employable skills that would enable them to contribute to India's social, economic, and political transformation.

 

 

Influence of National Education Policy on Psychology

Below are some of my observation on the impact of the National Eucation Policy on my discipline – Psychology. I would like to quote the text as it is in the NEP and share my reflections as objectively and comprehensively as possible.

Reaffirming the integrity of faculty positions and institutional leadership through merit based appointments and career management. (P. 9. 5).

It is very encouraging to notice that the NEP insist that the faculty members of any department are appointed, evaluated and promoted on the basis of their merits, not on basis of their background or considered in terms of their seniority. The students who join in Psychology at their post-graduate level, graduate level and even pre-university level will become more interested in Psychology, if the discipline is taught by someone who has sufficient knowledge in the field and the skills to communicate that knowledge instead of someone who does not merit to be the teacher of Psychology.

National Research Foundation (NRF) will be established to grant competitive founding for outstanding research proposals for all disciplines (P. 9.6)

Knowledge is generated and circulated through Research. There is a great dearth of research in the field of psychology. If Researchers are funded in the field of Psychology just as researcher in other fields are funded, it will encourage more scholars to invest time and their energy into research. Since any good research is time consuming and painstaking endeavour, financial support to the researcher is essential. If those researcher in the field of Psychology are encouraged through funding and various grants, more can be contributed to the world of knowledge through research. Since most of theories and schools of thought in Psychology are western in origin, more scholars can generate to Psychology through research.

All HEIs will aim to become large and multidisciplinary… a university will mean a multidisciplinary institution of higher learning that offers undergraduate and graduate programmes…a college will eventually be restricted to being a large multidisciplinary institution of higher learning…Type 1, 2, 3 Institutions – all three types of multidisciplinary higher educational institutions must aim to have student enrolment in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. (Chapter 10: Introduction)

Here I am drawn to the concept of "multidisciplinary" nature of instruction be it an HEI, or a University or a College. Many institution that educate hundreds and even thousands of students do not include any courses in Social Sciences. For example, New Horizon offers Bachelor courses in Business, commerce and administration. But there is not a single course in Sociology, Literature and Psychology. If these so called higher education imitations are encouraged to facilitate courses in Arts and Humanities, then there will be more students to be accommodated in these colleges. So a vision to establish "Multidisciplinary" HEIs, Universities and colleges will have to establish more Psychology faculties and more students will train in teaching of Psychology. The vision of Type 1, 2, 3 institutions with hundreds and even tens of thousands of students will definitely widen the scope for Psychology with the need for more Student counsellors, who can be appointed to help the students in their times of crisis. More students' intake will mean more number of Students counsellors and more opportunities for students to train in psychology. If more and more students are required to be trained in Psychotherapy and counselling, more institutes will establish more number of Psychology Faculties.

All affiliating universities will transition to a Type 1 or 2 institution, with one or more campuses. Universities will have no affiliated colleges. (P.10.14.a).

While I was doing B.A. PSEnglish, Psychology department was the biggest department in then Christ College, with over 1200 students. During that time Christ College was affiliated to Bangalore University. So I assume that time Christ Psychology was the biggest Psychology department under Bangalore University. If in the future colleges cannot get affiliation but that only universities would have multiple campuses, the opportunities that Christ had years back would be deprived to other colleges that work with great passion for some specific fields, in this case Psychology.

 

Students will be given some degree of flexibility in deciding which courses to take in order to satisfy the requirements for the major and minor. (P.11.1.1)

By encouraging students in choosing a minor course in a subject of their choice as a minor subject can influence them to choose a course in any of the streams in Psychology. This is a practice at Harvard. When students were given a choice to choose a subject of their choice, a number of students choose to do a course in "Positive Psychology". At one stage Tal Ben Sharah was teaching Positive Psychology, when he began this course there were hardly six students in his class. But gradually when they realized the importance of the significance and benefits of doing a minor course in Positive Psychology, Tal Ben Sharah went on to teach to a call of over eight hundred students. This flexibility paved the patch to increase enrolment in the one of the disciplines of Psychology. If NEP's vision is to be actualized, I am sure more and more students will take up courses in various discipline in Psychology like Positive Psychology, Counselling Psychology and other streams in Psychology. Thus increasing the recognition of the discipline often misunderstood that Psychologist only deal with mentally sick people.

All doctoral students will take a one-semester course/seminar on teaching – both the general aspects of good pedagogy as well as aspect more specialized to their specific subject. (P11. 2. 2. 1).

It is very necessary that scholars with doctorate degrees to undergo some basic training in pedagogy, helping them to improve their skills of teaching and master the art of teaching. It is not enough that all those who teach Psychology be Doctorate holders, but also good teachers with sound training in teaching methods to foster the passion for Psychology among students. Doing this, a scholar will both increase the motivation among the student for Psychology by being both scholar and teachers at the same time. It is very important for a scholar to be a good teacher. If a scholar is a good teacher he/she will multiply the desire for knowledge in psychology.

The development of capacities that promote student wellness – such as good health, psycho-social well-being and sound ethical grounding – are also necessary for high quality learning…Often, higher education represents the first time in students' lives when they are living and working independently, and the resulting stress and pleasures of students can sometimes form a serious threat to wellness.  (Chapter 12. Introduction).

It is undisputed that the students' psychological well-being and emotional growth is fostered though professional counselling and psychotherapy. It is not enough that educational instructions peruse only the academic excellence of their student, but institutions should help the students for their psychological and emotions health for those who are in need of it. As the NEP acknowledges, every institute will employ full time counsellors to help the students who can approach. In addition to that the presentations need to be done in colleges about the removal of the stigma behind getting psychological help.

Facilities for medical care, counselling services, therapy, and treatment in cases of illness or distress will be made available. (P.12.2.3).

In addition to medical care that is already in practice, many institutions have been employing more Counsellors and Psychotherapist. When this practice becomes mandatory and is buttressed by NEP, there will be more students enrolling for training in Psychology and Counselling encouraged by the job opportunities that will be created.

Financial assistance to students who need such financial support shall be made available. No student will be deprived of higher education because of financial inability. (P.12.2.4)

Like every department, funds are an essential part in maintenance and growth of the department. By providing financial assistance to students, no student will have to be prevented from training in Psychology because of lack of finances. This will financial bolster will increase in the number of admissions in the field of Psychology at UG, PG levels and even in the Research levels.

Critical Observations

 

The implementation of the two previous education policies is still incomplete. The unfinished agenda of the National Policy on Education 1986, Modified in 1992 (NPE 1986/92) is appropriately dealt with in this Policy.

According to K. Kasturiranja, the chairman of the Draft NEP Committee, the previous education policies are still incomplete. But is optimistic that this new NEP would be appropriately death within this policy, my concern is, if the previous two policies both 1986 and 1992 policies could not achieve what they want to achieve and could not deliver what they promised to deliver, it can be similarly assumed that this new NEP will also be as incomplete as the previous ones. In addition to that, have not achieved what they foresaw35 years back, but not looking at future with great hope with optimism seems unrealistic to me. 

The proposal to have Type 1, 2 and 3 Institution which will be very large in number and reducing the number of institutions currently operating is also some point of concern. Proposing that Type 1 institutions will enrols 5000 to 25000 and Type 2 with a similar number and type 3 (colleges) with 'say 5000-10000', is simply an utopian to me. Because as the draft itself is aware that there are a number of P.G. colleges with less than 100 students without any resident faculty, the probability of achieving the Type 1,2 and 3 institutions concept will only remain in conceptual level.

 

Establishing 100 Type 1 HEIs in just over a decade is next to impossible 2030. To start a school and establish it would take nearly a decade. And starting one HEI in every district in India is also too idealistic. The NEP is aware of the fact that there are still children who get their only meal in a day supplied to them at school. We are still at a time where Chief Ministers of different states are promising monitory benefits to the parents if they send their children to school.

 

 

Conclusion

 

Education is the key to growth and prosperity of any country. Creating knowledge not only empowers the individuals but also strengthens the country their live. More learned citizens will help to create a better society. By educating the masses the country does not only do a favour to its citizens but it is a favour to the country itself, because education helps people to in critical thinking and to make better judgements, to be responsible citizens of the country and of the world. The initiative of drafting the new National Education Policy is a road to the betterment of India. The draft of the NEP is very comprehensive in looking at the education system in India as the one dynamic organism, consisting of various components and element influencing one another.

 

The draft NEP is in line the international vision of the UN in adopting objective of making sure that education is made available to all for free, at least at the elementary level. Its objective of keeping education as a tool for the holistic development of individuals by aiming at 'full development of human personality' is commendable. Pointing out that the education in India stands on four pillars: 1) Learn to know, 2) Learn to do 3) Learn to live together and 4) Learn to be is very galvanizing. (Kasturirangan, 2019)

 

Learning from the shortcomings and limitation of 1986/92 policies, it is hoped that the new draft will do everything in its power to make a more learned individuals in India and thus building a better India. This assignment has widened my understanding and knowledge of Indian Education System and the influence and impact NEP will have on my discipline – Psychology.

 

References

Anonymous. (2016, May 16). New Education Policy. Retrieved from Governement of India, Ministry Human Resources Develpment: https://mhrd.gov.in/nep-new

Duncan, A. (2013, April 23). Education: Most Powerful Weapan for Changing the World. Retrieved from US AID: https://blog.usaid.gov/2013/04/education-the-most-powerful-weapon/

Kasturirangan, K. (2019). Draft National Education Policy . Bangalore : Ministry of Human Resource Development .

Lathem, E. C. (1969). The Petry of Robert Forst. New York : Hanry Holt Company, Inc.,.

Nayak, J. P., & Nurullah, S. (1974). A Students' History of Education in India (1800-1973. New Delhi : S.G. Wasani for Macmillan Company of India.

Roser, M., & Ortiz, E. (2018, September 20). Literacy . Retrieved from Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/literacy

Singh, H. (2016, Octorber 13). Census 2011: Literacy Rate and Sex Ratio in India. Since 1901 to 2011. Retrieved from Jagran Josh: https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/census-2011-literacy-rate-and-sex-ratio-in-india-since-1901-to-2011-1476359944-1

Staff, O. I. (2015, September 8). 10 Facts on Illiteracy in India that You Must Know. Retrieved from Oxfarm India: https://www.oxfamindia.org/featuredstories/10-facts-illiteracy-india-you-must-know