The Impact of National Education Policy on English
THE IMPACT OF NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY (NEP), 2019 ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." W.B. Yeats
Higher Education caters to develop good, well-rounded and creative individuals, with intellectual curiosity, which will build a strong next generation. By the course of time, it is believed that higher education helps to build the expertise that is critical for sustainable livelihood and economic development of the country. The National Education Policy, 2019 aims to refurbish the higher education system of the country.
The Integrative Approach to Higher Education
Of the many objectives it has, multidisciplinary approach to the higher education is worth mentioning with respect to my field, English Language and Literature. The common misconception that literature is a weak and exclusive art form is a statement that is too often agreed upon and one that needs addressing. English in fact is a multifaceted discipline and has many subfields of study; History, Poetry and Poetics, Gender and Sexuality studies, Old, Medieval and Modern. It's a subject that gives equal importance to all the cultures all over the world. As far as India is concerned, 40% of the colleges run only on single programmes. Such mono-institutions in vocational and professional fields violate the basic requirement of higher education (NEP, 2019).
Faculty and Institutional Autonomy
Another major aspiration worth mentioning from NEP, 2019 is faculty and institutional autonomy. Educational institutions and teachers are the backbone of a student as far as his/her academics is concerned. Autonomy is the capacity to make informed, uncoerced decisions (Wikipedia). This helps teachers to come up with innovative ideas of studying the subject. For example, Christ Deemed to be University has a diversified faculty in the Department Of English. Even the Research Fellow students are a part of the faculty in the Department of English and they are given the remuneration for the work they do. Institutional autonomy ensures that the curriculum is made vibrant enough to make the subject as interesting as possible and also encouraging the application of the field in various spheres of life.
Along with training faculties for academic depth and expertise, teaching capacities with disposition for public service helps them to guide and mentor students in terms with constitutional values. This gives a holistic approach to the domain.
National Research Foundation and English
The field of English is very vast and complex. It has its foot prints, more precisely to say each domain requires the language of English to comprehend and propagate the ideas. Wherever English is involved, English plays a major role to play. This calls for highlighting the role of NRF in English. Such an establishment ensures mentoring by high profile research scholars from top level institutions to students. Also NRF facilitates competitive research funding and because of its liaison with ministries of government and industry, relevant and societally useful research reaches the people as soon as possible. It has defined the scope of work in the draft National Education Policy as "the NRF will consist of four major divisions — Sciences; Technology; Social Sciences; and Arts and Humanities — with the provision to add additional divisions (e.g. health, agriculture, environmental issues), whenever it may be determined to be beneficial by the Governing Council of the NRF."
Bringing more research into the domain is central to its very growth. Providing sufficient funds along with developing a research culture and mindset helps human resources from the field of English to address the pressing needs utilizing the language for the betterment of the society and for familiarizing the use of Literature and language. Also recognising outstanding research funded by NRF through awards and seminars encourages more students from the field to come to research and to get into important issues that the research addresses.
The Vision of Three Tier Education System and English
The policy has dreams of a three tier system where, tier 1 is for research universities, tier 2 for teaching universities and tier 3 for colleges. Tier 1 focuses equally on research and teaching. It ensures availability of cutting edge resources and tools in the field of Literature. The plan of providing undergraduate programmes in such institutions shapes students at such a younger age to develop more interest in the field of research. This is definitely an inflection point as it encourages students to take up research as an important career in their professional life.
Tier 2 system for teaching ensures adequate training for teachers at the university level. Budding teachers will master efficient and innovative ways of teaching the subject that is as multifaceted as psychology. Such institutions also ensure that the colleges are adequately resourced and staffed with high quality teams of faculty with good leadership roles. It also facilitates proper dissemination of knowledge and service to the students and widens their knowledge.
Tier 3 system also focuses exclusively on high quality teaching. Given that teaching is strengthened through research and vice versa, it helps the faculty in providing a flavour of research to students at undergraduate level.
Liberal Education System and English
A liberal education programme helps to strengthen the application of Language and its principles to various fields such as psychology, engineering, sociology, neuroscience etc. Encouraging such liberal attitudes at the undergraduate level diversifies the knowledge amongst the students with respect to literature and language studies.
1. Enhancing professional education through liberal education approach: Students having the opportunity to study various fields' helps to develop scientific temper that further facilitates research in the field
2. Inter University centres for collaborative research and teaching: This fosters interdisciplinary research inculcating concepts from different field of research widening the domain of English further more. This in turn increase the innovation capacity as well as teaching required in the field.
3. Higher Education Institutions giving meaningful opportunities for social engagement at various levels of the society helps students in the field of social sciences.
Quality Transformation of Open and Distance Learning and Impact on English Language and Literature
Not many get the opportunity to go to colleges to study the subject of their interest. Open and distance learning helps to solve that loss to a great extent. However, the quality has been compromised for a lot of reasons. The NEP, 2019 has in view a transformation with respect to distance education. It offers a solution for better learning of the language under expert options. Institutions that can provide such online learning platforms with better offerings, more access and best material & resources for students encourage a lifelong learning of the subject.
Missions like Nalanda and Takshashila
Mission Nalanda intends to bring equitable regional distribution of type 1 and type 2 institutions and Mission Takshashila aims to bring one high quality HEIs in each district. These are good initiative as it gives more accessibility of higher educational institutions with multidisciplinary courses such as English to wider sections of the society.
Internationalisation of Higher Education and English
Apart from giving exposure to students at various levels of the society, attracting students from different part of the world to our HEIs gives the domain a global exposure especially when it has its roots in the west. This also helps the prospective researchers, linguists and language enthusiasts to work across the world. Also providing students with professional education aligned with global standards helps in 'internationalisation at home' without compromising the requirements of the Indian context.
1. Inviting foreign universities to India: Encouraging institutional collaborations for twinning programmes also caters to the student's need of working across different cultures across the world. This also facilitates research collaborations with foreign universities that where the domain further advances as well.
Reconsrtucting Post Graduate Education and English
This is to ensure strong exposure to professional practice in the context of specialisation, helping them to understand the complexities in the field. Having an exposure to the domain at a professional level gives them direction regarding their interest either to work as teachers, linguists or be more involved in research. Thus revamping gives the students clarity of thought which is important as they are the future generations that will carry forward the domain in the best possible way.
The Role of National Higher Education Qualification Framework and English
This body ensures more flexibility in terms of credit transfer and mobility of students across different streams facilitating a multidisciplinary approach. This body is also the basis to sign pacts with different countries to mutually recognise their degrees. So, those students who aim to pursue their higher studies will not have many issues with respect to their degrees.
Treating public and private institutions on par ensures quality education in the field irrespective of the management. Usually it is believed that Central Universities provide the best of educational facilities. But private institution having a proper structure and system can also give quality education as far field of English is concerned.
Conclusion
"The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." said Aristotle, in order to bear those fruits, the roots must reach deep into the soil and should be well nourished and protected from weeds aiming at its nutrients and the birds aiming for its fruits. For its healthy growth it has to be well maneuvered. It requires patience, forbearance and dedication. Like the tree that requires such an amount of effort the Policy too requires the same. It has its positives and negatives apart the talking and understanding done at this moment what requires is the Implementation of the policy, only and only then will its true effect be known and to what level it is beneficial to the present system of education.
Reference
Prashant K Nanda. (2019, june 12). Draft new education policy is robust, but has its limitations.
MHRD. "Home." New Education Policy / Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, National Informatics Centre, mhrd.gov.in/nep-new.
__Draft National Education Policy 2019. 2019. Web
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