August 2020

A Review of the National Education

Policy 2020
National Education Policy 2020: Doubling the public expenditure on Education would definitely catalyze
much needed investments in teacher education & training, improving quality of schools and HEIs

Union Govt. spending in Education Sector, as a % of GDP, has remained relatively stagnant over the last 5 years; Given the impact
COVID-19 significant increase in Education spend is unlikely in the short to medium term

Public Expenditure on Education as % of Education Expenditure as % of GDP • Both the Education policy of 1968 and
GDP (Economic Survey, 2019-20)
1986/1992 called for increasing the
spend in Education to 6% of GDP
6.0% however, it has never been
implemented

• In Absolute terms too, state

expenditure on the flagship Samagra
3.1% 3.1% Shiksha Abhiyan, when adjusted for
2.8% 2.8%
Inflation, has seen an annual reduction
of ~14%

2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 NEP - Proposed

Sources: 1: “Social Infrastructure, Employment and Human Development”, Economic Survey of India 2019-20 ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 2
National Education Policy 2020: Lays long-due emphasis on ECCE, and places Learning and
Competency Outcomes at the center of the way forward

Section Summary:

Pedagogical Structure, Curriculum Key Wins

and Assessments
1 Integration and standardization of Early Childhood Care and
Education (ECCE)

2 Developmental-stage appropriate modifications to

pedagogical practices under the 5+3+3+4 structure

3 Student-choice and flexibility, multidisciplinary approach

to secondary education

4 Mainstreaming of vocational education and its potential

impact on curbing dropouts

5 Outcome-led continuous formative assessments, to

inform teaching-learning and remedial needs

6 Reduced pressure on Board Examinations

Census exams for Grade 3,5 and 8 as a regular status
checks on school and teacher performance, could drive
informed choice of private schools among parents

Representational Image; credits: Shutterstock ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 3

National Education Policy 2020: However, realization of the Policy’s vision largely dependent
on the anticipated changes to the NCF and State level implementation roadmaps

Section Summary:

Pedagogical Structure, Curriculum Watch Out For

and Assessments 1 Inter-department coordination between MoWCD, MoHFW
and MHRD for ECCE implementation

2 Implementation success to a large part, depends on the

anticipated revisions to the National Curriculum Framework

3 Recommended shifts in approach to pedagogy and

assessment require significant capacity building
^ Scope of the National Assessment Centre
(PARAKH) does not include building systems
capacity
^ Policy silent on training roadmaps for in-
service teachers, suggested 50 hours per
annum (6-7 days) distributed across trainings
likely to be inadequate
4 No clear implementation roadmap for Mother Tongue
Medium of Instruction, need for protection against the
curbing of parental choice

Representational Image; credits: Shutterstock ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 4

National Education Policy 2020: NEP misses the opportunity to show the way for effective
blended learning pedagogy, or learn from the failures of the CCE experience

Section Summary:

Pedagogical Structure, Curriculum Missed Opportunities

and Assessments
1 E-Learning:
^ Missed opportunity to provide a roadmap for the
effective adoption of blended learning across
classrooms, optimum design of content and
products for improved learning outcomes
^ Misses acknowledging ICT access issues as
inequitable, and setting mid-long term targets to
address the same even though the policy
repeatedly calls out the need for an inclusive and
equitable public education system
2 Neglects to account for the failures of Continuous
Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), by not addressing
capacity building needs among teachers and parents
3 Misses the opportunity to deepen parental engagement,
drawing on relationships built during the pandemic

Representational Image; credits: Shutterstock ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 5

Emphasis on ECCE: Positive step towards providing equitable access to ECCE, in
acknowledgment of its role in the development of Foundational Numeracy and Literacy
Announcement Areté Review
^ Positive step in giving ECCE long-due emphasis, given its role in building school readiness and cognitive
development in later years, in addition to bridging achievement gap between affluent students with access to pre-
school v/s those who don’t
Emphasis on Early
5+3+3+4 MODEL-RESTRUCTURING SCHOOL EDU

^ Adding ECCE to MHRD ambit will also help set standards for privately run pre-schools
Education:
^ Over 85% of a child’s cognitive development occurs from the ages 0-6, loss of developmental milestones in this
^ Universal Access to Early
period can drive critical deficiencies in later years1
Childhood Care and
^ Quality ECCE has been acknowledged to play a key role in enhancing school readiness; greater school readiness in
Education (ECCE) in a phased
turn can improve academic achievement on mathematics and languages by 30-40% in the early years1
manner
^ Development of a National
Curricular Framework (NCF) ^ Over 70% Indian children in Class 3 do not have basic reading and arithmetic skills2
for ECCE for ages 3-6 70%
^ Strengthening of Anganwadis ^ Seeks to achieve Universal Foundational Numeracy and Literacy by 2025, however, silent
and upskilling of Anganwadi on targets and timelines for development of a qualified teacher cadre, upskilling of
workers (AWW) AWWs to achieve the same
^ Improving share of ECCE ^ By 2025, rural India alone will need 2 million ECCE qualified teachers3
trained teachers over time ^ National Professional Standards for Teachers targeted for completion by 2022, leaving
just a 3 year window for stabilization of practices and realization of intended impact on
Foundational Outcomes

Sources: 1: India Early Childhood Impact Study-Policy Brief, ASER, UNICEF; 2: ASER 2018; 3: Estimated-Population Projections 2020-2025, UNICEF
recommend ECCE PTR as stated in “A World Ready to Learn: 2019”, UNICEF
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 6
School Education Restructured: Envisions transition to development stage-appropriate
pedagogy, however, does not account for teacher capacity building needs for the same
Announcement
Development-stage appropriate pedagogical transition from
5+3+3+4 MODEL-RESTRUCTURING SCHOOL
Foundational to Secondary:
^ 5+3+3+4 structure breaks up pedagogical practices and approach, viz:
^ Play-based teaching in Foundational Stage (Ages 3-8)
^ Play-based+ light textbooks in Preparatory Stage (Ages 8-11)
^ Preparatory stage style pedagogy with introduction of subject
EDU
teachers and abstract concepts in Middle Stage (Ages 11-14)
^ Greater depth and focus on critical thinking in the Secondary
Stage (Ages 14-18)
^ Defined learning and development outcomes for each stage
^ Peer tutoring and volunteer tutoring suggested
^ Flexible subject choice in Secondary School
NO “STREAMS”
No hard separation between “streams” Science, Arts, Commerce or
Vocational Education
Areté Review
^ Will have to wait for the revised National Curriculum Framework and
States’ and Boards’ interpretations of the same, to understand how this
vision might be realized
^ Outcome-led instruction and assessment will require significant capacity
building for teachers, on pedagogical practices, and objective and
standardized evaluation of competencies
^ Suggested 50 training hours (or 6.25 days) per
annum for in-service teachers (distributed across
varied domains of training) appear insufficient
^ The program will also require the establishing of continuous monitoring
mechanisms for teachers-policy is silent on the same
^ Positive step in enhancing student choice and providing a better rounded
understanding of the world through a multi-disciplinary approach
^ Multidisciplinary exposure and widening of STEM learning to Arts and
Commerce streams could positively influence both student employability
and research (one of the key goals of Higher Education reform)
^ However for intended impact and better adoption, parent counseling
would also be required- policy is silent on the same
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 7
Curriculum changes, E-learning: Emphasis on achievement of learning outcomes and
application-based assessments; recommendations on E-learning broad and vague
Announcement Areté Review
Reducing curriculum to core concepts to make ^ Policy envisions a necessary shift away from course completion to outcome
achievement, and from rote learning to application
CURRICULUM

room for critical thinking

RECUCING

^ However, fails to provide a comprehensive roadmap or timelines for upskilling of

^ Revisions to the NCF, matching curriculum to learning
teachers in terms of subject mastery, pedagogical shifts and assessments
outcomes
^ As mentioned earlier, the suggested 50 training hours (or 6.25 days) per annum for in-
^ Suitable changes to Assessments, making them more
service teachers (distributed across varied domains of training) appear insufficient
application based
^ Introduction of “coding” to a curriculum a forward-looking step, considering also the
CURRICULUM

^ “Coding” to be introduced as a subject Grade 6

ADDITIONS

onwards increase in demand for after school coding and STEM programs
^ Greater emphasis on sports and fitness ^ The policy also talks about development of computational skills but misses the
^ School Complexes for sharing of required resources opportunity for a deeper STEM curriculum- however, updates to the NCF are awaited

^ Policy talks about expanding the role of e-learning in the light of learnings from the
Emphasis on E-Learning pandemic but only goes as far as outlining broad and vague recommendations
^ Creation of a user-reviewed content repository ^ Hopes for distance learning to contribute to universalization of secondary education,
E-LEARNING

^ Training teachers to be “digital-friendly” given that access and affordability drive 20-30%1 of secondary school dropouts, and yet
^ Suggests adoption of blended learning does not acknowledge the need for deepening internet and device access for students-
^ Recommends creation of interoperable infrastructure missed opportunity to establish a dedicated fund for ICT access, or set mid to long-term
at school level, and continuing instruction through ICT access targets for India to achieve
radio and TV ^ NEP also misses the opportunity to set guidelines for the development and curation of
high-quality online content and its effective incorporation in a blended classroom format
Sources: 1: “Factors of Dropouts in India: A National Family Health Survey”, International Institute for Population Science 2014 ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 8
Mother tongue Medium of Instruction: Room for State choice in adoption however, does not
protect parental choice; diluted take on UNESCO recommended multilingual implementation
Announcement Areté Review
^ Policy provides a fair amount of wiggle room for State choice, merely suggesting adoption “where possible, but could
potentially curb parental choice based on how state-level implementation pans outs
^ While the UNESCO acknowledges the benefits of mother-tongue medium of instruction in aiding comprehension,
self-expression, critical thinking and parent engagement, it also encourages a “multi-lingual” approach to
instruction, retaining the language of administration and commerce1
^ Failure to do so can lead to the marginalization of children from multi-lingual households, in multi-lingual
MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

Instruction in mother-
tongue until grade 5,
preferably grade 8 at both
private and public schools
^ Development of high-
quality resources for the
same
classrooms, and of those from migrant labor families or families that prefer the language of administration and
commerce as a medium of instruction, especially given that many of them consider it an important contributor
to their vertical mobility
^ The NEP however, makes the “multilingualism” clause conditional and extendable only to those whose home
language is different from the medium of instruction, not to those who might just have a preference for a
different language as medium of instruction, and can potentially curb parental choice
^ The multilinguistic approach is also a challenge to implement as it needs careful deliberation and effort on:
^ Mapping and augmentation of linguistic capabilities among teacher cadre
^ Capacity building for multilingual instruction
^ High-quality teaching and assessment resources
^ Given the above, providing a guiding roadmap and minimum standards for State level implementation would have
been desirable, along with a clause for the protection of parental choice

Sources: 1: “State of Private Schools in India”, Central Square Foundation 2019; 2: “ The Importance of Mother-Tongue based schooling for Educational
Quality”, UNESCO, 2004
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 9
Mainstreaming Vocational Education: Positive step towards containment of secondary school
drop-outs; however, the success of this vision lies in the trade-mix established by the NCIVE
Announcement Areté Review

Mainstreaming and
^ Move aims to curb drop-out, given a steady drop in Gross Enrolment Gross Enrolment Ratio across grades1
Ration from primary to secondary; about 3.22 crore people in the ages 6- 90%
integration of 75%
17 are out-of-school1 55%
vocational
^ Nearly 40% dropouts attributable to a decline in perceived relevance to
education into school
students, as most look for employment opportunities to supplement the Grades 6-8 Grades 9-10 Grades 11-12
education, in a phased
family income2
manner over the next
VOCATIONAL EDU

decade ^ Local opportunity mapping a positive design change- Skilling has been traditionally supply-driven (via ITIs), and even new age
^ Industry programs (e.g.: PMKVY) demonstrate low placement rates (54%)
demand/local ^ Traditionally, Voc. Ed. Has focused on trades in the informal sector-one would hope to see a healthy mix including higher

opportunity value services (about 40% share in employment)3, along with trades that see participation by women members of the
^ To be mapped to workforce

local opportunities ^ Apprenticeships likely to enrich Voc. Ed., 20-40% of VET students struggle to find regular employment4, which employers
^ Secondary schools attribute to a practical skill gaps

will collaborate ^ Additionally, by mainstreaming Voc. Ed. and removing watertight “streams”, the policy gives VET students a chance at vertical
with ITIs, mobility, enhancing their ability to seek admission in technical and multidisciplinary courses

polytechnics, local ^ Performance and quality of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have been far from satisfactory (i.e. obsolete

industry, etc. teaching/pedagogy, lack of infrastructure, paucity of funds)- The policy does not specifically address this concern

Sources: 1: NEP 2020 Brief; 2: “Factors of Dropouts in India: A National Family Health Survey”, International Institute for Population Science 2014; 3: “Skill
Training or Nipping Potential in the Bud”, EPW 2016; 4: “Voc. Ed Reform in India, Applied Manpower Research 2018
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 10
Holistic report cards, formative assessments: Suggests Competency-led assessments; repeats a
crucial implementation oversight of the CCE- building teacher capacity
Announcement Areté Review
^ Assessments often set the tone for the approach the classroom (and parents) takes towards both teaching and learning
^ However, the policy fails to account for the failures of the Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) experience-
Holistic Report another visionary idea failed by ineffective implementation
Cards, continuous ^ A key drawback of the CCE was the failure to build teacher capacity to adapt pedagogy suitably, and to use formative
and formative assessment data for targeted improvement of outcomes
TRANSFORMATION IN ASSESSMENTS

assessments ^ Eventually, the CCE just added hours of incremental assessment work for teachers without delivering on its promises

^ Shift to a of improvement in class participation or scores1

competency-led ^ State Education departments felt that their teachers were ill-equipped for CCE implementation2
assessment ^ PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) to be responsible for

structure establishing standards and guidelines for assessment, however its scope does not include building systems capacity for
^ To include this shift
attainment of life- ^ While the Holistic Report Card will include peer assessments in student evaluation, it misses the opportunity for

skills and peer meaningful engagement with parents through parent assessments- Parent engagement has the potential to improve
evaluations outcomes by about 30-40%1
^ Establishment of ^ Additionally, care must be taken that teachers are equipped4 to
National ^ Guide students on constructive self-assessment, probing for justification of assessment (encourage critical thinking),

Assessment Centre fair communication of assessment (communication)

^ Critically review peer feedback and decide on actions to be taken, filtering biased assessments and protecting against
bullying

Sources: 1: “An Evaluation of India’s CCE Program”, Journal of Developmental Economics J-PAL, 2: “NCERT Study finds loopholes in CCE System”, The Hindu
2015; 3: 2018: “The Aggregate Effect of School Choice”, DFID 2015; 4: “Student involvement in assessment”, Interuniversity of Education Netherlands, 2002
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 11
Milestone Exams: Census assessments at lower levels as promising indicators of teaching-
learning, school quality-potential to drive informed choice of private schools among parents
Announcement Areté Review
TRANSFORMATION IN ASSESSMENTS

Relief on board examinations
^ Students to be allowed two attempts
at their 10th and 12th grade board
examinations
^ Over time, modular board
examinations covering smaller
portions of the coursework to be
rolled out by Boards
^ Census assessments at 3rd, 5th and 8th
grade
^ Positive step towards relieving students and parents, of Board Examination pressures and associated
reliance on tuition and coaching providers
^ Student participation in coaching and tuition classes is c. 20-30% higher Grades 9 onwards1
^ Census examinations for lower grades could develop as a promising indicator of
^ Teaching-learning process, regularly informing targeted and timely remedial action, required
pedagogical changes and parent attention
^ School quality, driving informed decision making and choice of private schools among parents
(Private school enrolments account for 48% of total enrolments in India)2
^ However, it is unclear if these census assessments will subsume/replace the National Achievement Survey
exercise

Sources: 1: NSSO, 2015; 2: U-DISE 2018-19 ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 12

National Education Policy 2020: Promising transformations in pre-service teacher education,
and teacher recruitment

Section Summary:

Teachers and Teacher Education Key Wins

1 Specially qualified teachers for Early Childhood Care and

Education instruction at both private and public schools

2 Transition to a 4 year B.Ed. programme by 2030; Shifting

Teacher Education to multi-disciplinary
universities/Higher Education Institutions for a holistic
and mainstreamed approach

3 Strengthening of Teacher Eligibility Tests; Interviews

demos to become key element of teacher recruitment
going forward

4 Accepts the need for Career Management and

Progression and suggests a few career pathways that
could be made available

Representational Image; credits-The Rodin Hoods ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 13

National Education Policy 2020: National Professional Standards for Teachers, implementation
of the Performance Management System-key developments to watch out for

Section Summary:
Watch Out For
Teachers and Teacher Education
1 Teacher transfers to be undertaken only in special cases-
DSE ability to do so while maintaining rural service coverage
2 No timelines for upskilling of Anganwadi Workers for ECCE
education

3 Limiting time spent by teachers on non-teaching

activities-no guidance on how this might be
implemented considering teacher workforce is the
largest on-ground workforce many States have, and are
often co-opted into State administrative duties

5 Laying down of comparable National Professional

Standards for Teachers across states- likely to- face
Union pushback
6 Limited guidance on Implementation of the suggested
performance management system, or correction of
failures of the PINDICS experience

Representational Image-The Rodin Hoods ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 14

National Education Policy 2020: However, the policy refrains from making any big changes to
in-service teacher training or even adapting it for new pedagogy and curriculum

Section Summary:
Missed Opportunities
Teachers and Teacher Education
1 Mandating timebound transition to digital service books for
teachers

2 Simplifying complex teacher cadres across states that often

lead to complex service rules and litigation of career
progression/promotion decisions

3 Timelines for the delivery of a framework for quality

accreditation of Teacher Education Institutions; phasing
of sub-par institutions, by the National Council of Teacher
Education

4 While pre-service teacher education has been given due

importance; NEP has not been as bold in addressing
challenges around in-service teacher education

Representational Image-The Rodin Hoods ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 15

ECCE, Teacher Recruitment: Upskilling AWWs as ECCE teachers a positive, however, policy
silent on timelines; tech-based forecasting a step towards efficient need-based recruitment
Announcement Areté Review
Initial cadre to comprise upskilled ^ Upskilling AWC workers to act as the initial cadre of ECCE teachers is a great move; However, no
timeline is specified for upskilling of AWC workers or the completing the transition to
Anganwadi workers ..
ECCE TEACHERS

professionally qualified educators

^ 6 month ODL certificate for workers that have
completed 10+2 ^ Need for strong inter-departmental coordination to ensure both
^ 1 year diploma for AWC with less than 10+2 upskilling of workers and recruitment and deployment of teachers at the
..eventually transition to professionally AWCs

qualified ECCE educators

^ Unlocking funding by increasing education spend to 6% of GDP can help public

Teacher Recruitment schools recruit required number of teachers ; Also, suggested hiring of teachers
TEACHER RECRUITMENT

^ Time-bound plan to fill existing vacancies
^ Using technology to forecast teacher
requirement
^ Scholarships for B.Ed. and employment in
rural areas post completion; Provision of
housing within/near schools
^ Strengthening of TET
for school complexes and sharing of resources/teachers at a complex level will
bring in desirable efficiency
^ Incentivizing rural service is a welcome step
^ Using technology to forecast manpower will also ensure that teacher recruitment is need based
and speaks to the requirement of specific schools/subjects
^ Strengthening Teacher Eligibility Test and including Classroom demonstration as a key requirement
for recruitment at school complex level
^ Policy could have called out the numerous teacher cadres and consequently overly complex
teacher service rules resulting in litigation and blocking career progression pathways
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 16
Deployment, Performance Management: Fair and transparent deployment, CPD welcome
steps-however, need to learn from mistakes of the PINDICS experience
Announcement
TEACHER DEPLOYMENT
Halting excessive transfers
^ Transfer only in special cases
^ Using technology to ensure transfer process
is transparent and free from interference
Teacher performance management
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
^ Defining professional standards for teachers
^ Using the NPST, peer reviews, attendance and
other parameters to establish teacher
performance; Salary increments and
promotions to be linked to teacher
performance rather than tenure
Reducing time spent of non-core activities
Sources: ‘Involvement of Teachers in Non-teaching Activities and its Effect on Education’, NEUPA
Areté Review
^ With limited success of PINDICS and other performance management systems introduced
periodically; points system for transfers have allowed DSEs to encourage desirable behaviour
among teachers
^ While continuity of teachers is important, mandating one rural stint for all teachers would have
helped with deployment challenges often faced by administrators
^ Using technology to create a fair process is a welcome step and many states have been able to use
this model successfully
^ Missed opportunity to mandate creation of digital service books allowing DSEs better manage
deployment of existing teaching resources by matching skills/qualifications to school needs
^ Expect a lot of push back from teacher unions-participatory consultative processes should be
followed before roll-out and would be key to successful implementation
^ Need to learn from the experiment with PINDICS-and build system (CRC/BRC) capability to verify
and take action on teacher assessment, however, policy is silent on same
^ A NUEPA report suggest that teachers spent less than 20% of their time on
teaching; While reducing the time spent by teachers in non-core activities 20%
is desirable- there is a need to show how; Recommendations could have
been made to include this metric in SEQI/PGI as an incentive to states to
use teacher time more judiciously
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 17
Teacher Education: Transformational changes to pre-service education however, misses to lay
down quality guidelines for TEIs; no significant value-additions to in-service education
Announcement
Reforming Pre-Service Teacher Education
PRE-SERVICE
^ 4-year integrated B.Ed. to become minimum
degree requirement; to be offered by
multidisciplinary HEIs
^ Stringent action against substandard and
dysfunctional TEIs
At least 50 hours of CPD
^ Workshops to be offered in multiple modes
IN-SERVICE
^ Establishing/Strengthening peer learning
platforms
^ Trainings to be offered on pedagogy,
assessments, competency based learning,
experiential learning etc.
Sources: U-DISE 2016-17
Areté Review
^ 4 year integrated B.Ed. is a long debated and awaited reform; however, given the magnitude of the
intended shifts, this is a long term play, and even though implementation is targeted by 2030, it may
still be a decade from then before we see impact in classrooms
^ Missed opportunity: Laying down guidelines for the development of a framework for quality
accreditation of Teacher Education Intuitions; guidelines for phasing out sub-par Teacher Education
Institutions or integrating existing TEIs with multi-disciplinary Higher Education Institutions
^ While pre-service teacher education has been given due importance; NEP has not been as bold in
addressing challenges around in-service teacher education
^ 50 hours of CPD similar to the 6-7 days of training per annum per teacher conducted by most
states today; Not yielded significant dividend so far
^ Teacher choice based CPD rather than a one size fits all approach will increase teacher participation
and interest in CPD
^ 16% of elementary school teachers and 11% of secondary school teachers do not meet the
minimum qualification criteria laid out by the NCTE; Allow for time bound compliance with NCTE
requirements or create a dignified path to exit
^ Available documentation is missing details on how curriculum for CPD will be designed and
implemented including completion of the feedback loop; Completely silent on importance of
revitalizing SCERTs, DIETs, and BITEs where progress has been very slow
^ Calls out the need for SLDP training (at least 50 hours)
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 18
National Education Policy 2020: Brings a key reform with Separation of powers viz.
Administration and Provision; School Complexes hold potential for resource efficiency

Section Summary:

Governance Key Wins

1 Separation of powers – Policy making (Department of

School Education), administration and provision for public
Education (Directorates of School Education) and
regulation (State School Standards Authority)

2 Revitalizing/Creating school complexes to allow for

efficient sharing of resources and infrastructure
multi-disciplinary universities/HEIs

Representational Image; credits-Transforming India, mygov.in ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 19

National Education Policy 2020: However, School complexes could also present
implementation challenges in terms of fixing of accountability at different levels

Section Summary:
Watch Out For
Governance

1 Implementation challenges in creating school complexes-

especially fixing accountability at different levels (School,
School Complex, BEO, DEO etc.)

2 Incompletely conceived- Light but tight regulation and

dilution of RTE norms *without* empowering the
parents and students for informed decision making may
lead to proliferation of poor quality schools and have an
adverse impact on quality outcomes

3 Implementation roadmap for the suggested

performance management system for administration
roles, accounting for vacant roles, overlapping reporting
lines etc.

Representational Image; credits-Transforming India, mygov.in ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 20

National Education Policy 2020: Misses the opportunity to revitalize SCERT, DIETs, BITEs, BRCs
and CRCs, and fix the functioning of SMCs

Section Summary:
Missed Opportunities
Governance
1 Laying out a framework for expediting hearing of all service
rule cases under litigation- allowing states to fill vacant
positions

2 A clear plan to revitalize academic structures- SCERT,

DIETs, BITEs, BRCs and CRCs

3 A robust SQAAF that speaks to educational outcomes

and not just basic inputs (safety, security, infra, teachers
and governance etc.)

4 Concentrated effort to empower parent communities

and build awareness allowing for functioning SMCs and
SCMCs in their true spirit

Representational Image; credits-Transforming India, mygov.in ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 21

 School Complexes and Separation of Powers: Limited guidance on School Complex
administration; School Quality Framework continues to be largely input-driven
Announcement
SCHOOL COMPLEXES
Revitalising School complexes
^ Allow for sharing of resources, infrastructure to
enable efficient deployment and administration
^ Allow for creation of teacher communities
^ Improve administration of schools and school
clusters
Separating policy making, administration and
SEPARATION OF POWERS
regulation
^ Department of School Education to oversee policy
making and overall monitoring
^ Directorate of School Education to oversee
provision of public school Education
^ Creation of State School Standards Authority
(SSSA) to ensure compliance to a minimal set of
standards, to be devised by SCERT, by all schools
Sources: 1: “Factors of Dropouts in India: A National Family Health Survey”, International Institute for Population Science 2014; 2: “State of Education in
India: Children with Disabilities”, UNESCO, 2019
Areté Review
^ Recommended as one of the option- does not mandate creation/revitalization of school
complexes
^ Currently available documentation has limited guidance on recommended alignment of
academic and administrative structures and accountability of stakeholders at different levels
(School, School Complex, Block, District etc.)
^ Separation of powers is a welcome step and will help improve both transparency and
effectiveness of the public school system
^ While the policy bemoans the over reliance on inputs as a proxy for quality in the RTE, the
framework outlined for School Quality Assessment & Accreditation (SQAAF) is also
predominantly input focused (safety, security, basic infrastructure, number of teachers across
subjects and grades, financial probity, and sound processes of governance) and does not speak
to quality of learning or educational outcomes
^ Much narrower in scope when compared to existing frameworks such as Shala Siddhi
that speak to teaching learning process and educational outcomes
^ Strips down the CBSE SQAA framework of scholastic processes parameter
^ Parents’ ability to hold schools accountable or to exercise choice by driving out poor quality
schools will be limited without significant efforts to empower parent groups and building
awareness
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 22
 Others: No clear plans to address high vacancy rates in administration; light and tight regulation
of schools without empowering informed parental choice could have adverse impact
Announcement
SCERT will drive “change management process” for
revitalizing CRCs, BRCs, and DIETs in 3 years
Building Accountability across stakeholders
through a robust performance management system
with multiple feedback loops
OTHERS
Dilution of strict RTE norms
^ Mandates will be adjusted and loosened, leaving
suitable flexibility for each school to make its own
decisions based on local needs and constraints,
while ensuring safety, security, and a pleasant and
productive learning space
Sources: 1: Various media reports
Areté Review
^ Despite the provisions of SMSA, progress on strengthening of SCERTs remains painfully slow
^ Vacancy rates in SCERT and DIETs are as high as 80% (Telangana), 82% (Punjab), 66%
(Bihar), 50% (Assam, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh)1
^ Deploying manpower to these structures remains a challenge due to multiple service
rule cases under litigation- missed opportunity for fast tracking judicial hearing of
service rule cases
^ Unlikely that revitalization of academic structures will fructify in the stipulated time
horizon
^ Clearly defined roles and regulations for all stakeholders and performance management
system that helps build accountability is a step in the right direction; Details awaited on how
exactly the policy envision managing these, often complex, structures with overlapping
operating and functional reporting lines
^ Light but tight regulation of private schools, driven predominantly by self reporting and self
regulation, coupled with dilution of RTE norms may lead to proliferation of poor quality
schools in the absence of commensurate efforts to empower the parent for informed decision
making
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 23
National Education Policy 2020: State discretionary gender funds a positive for local needs-
matched efforts; SEZs to facilitate targeted action and monitoring of equity in education

Section Summary:

Inclusion Key Wins

1 Dedicated fund for gender inclusion under MHRD,

separate from the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” Fund which
is co-operated by the MoWCD and MHRD
^ State discretionary funds a positive step
towards funding of strategies most locally
relevant

2 Establishment of Special Education Zones (SEZs) for

targeted action and monitoring of outcomes for students
from Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs)

Representational Image; credits-UNICEF/UN159600/Singh ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 24

National Education Policy 2020: However, policy does not call out intended share of allocation
towards Gender Fund or delineate activities and outcome targets for SEZs

Section Summary:
Watch Out For
Inclusion

1 Share of allocation towards Gender Inclusion Funds; details

on activities envisioned

2 Activities and outcomes targeted for SEZs, funding

contours

Representational Image; credits-UNICEF/UN159600/Singh ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 25

National Education Policy 2020: Gender Fund places disproportionate emphasis on infrastructure;
CWSN integration efforts limited to TLM reform, even while access continues to lag

Section Summary:
Missed Opportunities
Inclusion
1 Need-based solutions for the improvement of GER and
containment of dropouts among female and transgender
students
^ Disproportionate emphasis on infrastructure
improvement; only 2% dropouts are driven by
inadequate infrastructure1
^ Fails to offer flexible and modular schooling for
female and transgender students, who most often
dropout due to a drop in perceived relevance of
school and need to contribute to household
activities
2 Similarly misses the point on integration of Children with
Special Needs (CWSN), by focusing entirely on
improvement in teaching-learning methods (TLM), when
75% of CWSN are still out of –school2

Representational Image; credits-UNICEF/UN159600/Singh ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 26

Gender Inclusion Fund: Disproportionate emphasis on infrastructure, at the cost of other
leading contributing factors of dropouts among female students
Announcement Areté Review
^ Dedicated fund for gender inclusion under MHRD, separate from the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” Fund which is
co-operated by the MoWCD and MHRD
^ Policy outlines Access enhancement activities in an effort to improve female and transgender GER and curb
dropouts, however, gives little direction on equitable outcomes for female and transgender students
Gender Inclusion Fund: ^ State discretionary funds a positive step towards funding of strategies most locally relevant
^ Co-funded by Centre and State
^ However, policy places disproportionate emphasis on Infrastructure and transport facilities, at the cost of other
for inclusion of locally relevant
leading factors that contribute to dropouts among female students
interventions for improved
20% 20%
access and outcomes for female 15%
Factors of 6%
GENDER

and transgender students 3% 2% 2%

Dropouts among
^ Key thrust areas include female students1 Low Associated Required Repeated Safety Inadequate Inadequate
development of infrastructure perceived expenditure for failures Infrastructure Transport
and improving ease of transport relevance housework facilites
^ Details on allocated fund share ^ Missed opportunity for targeted problem solving through:
and other intended activities ^ Modular and flexible courses, improving access to ODL and NIOS by grants through grants for improved
awaited device and internet access
^ Scholarships/cash transfers along the lines of “Amma Vodi” in AP for female and transgender children
^ That said, given that only 50% schools have boundary walls2, and that a quarter of schools don’t have functional
toilets3, we can hope to see improved accountability and achievement against these inputs under the fund

Sources: 1: “Factors of Dropouts in India: A National Family Health Survey”, International Institute for Population Science 2014; 2: U-DISE 2018-19; 3:
ASER 2018; 3: ASER, 2017
^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 27
CWSN Integration: Neglects to address the issue of Access, even as 75% of CWSN do not attend
any education institutions
Announcement Areté Review
^ NEP aims to improve instruction quality for CWSN but misses the point by not addressing issues of access, parent
confidence and improving teacher capacity

^ ~75% of CSWN population between the ages 5-19 do not attend any educational
institution despite admission and infrastructure provisions under the Right to Education Act
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (CWSN)

Improved teaching- (RTE) or the Rights of Persons with Disability Act (RWPD)1;
75%
^ Efforts to improve in Teaching Learning Methods (TLM) while well-intended, need to follow
learning for CSWN
efforts to deepen access
^ Improved access to
technology and aids
^ A large section of this population accesses schooling through the National Institute
^ Standardisation of
for Open Schooling (NIOS)1.
Indian Sign Language
^ NEP misses the opportunity to deliver material change to access for these
^ Special Education
students by expanding ICT access
Certificate programmes
for teachers ^ Another driver of low admissions is lack of parent confidence in the ability of schools to cater to their children’s special
needs; studies indicate that parents have negative attitudes towards mainstream schools owing to a lack of confidence in
teacher capability and attitudes1
^ In a 2019 report, UNESCO also indicates that parents are unaware of their rights and the availability of specialized
resources and teachers around their location1

Sources: 1: “State of Education in India: Children with Disabilities”, UNESCO, 2019 ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 28
SEDGs: Refrains from establishing concrete targets for activities, outcomes or spending for
SEDGs in Special educational Zones
Announcement Areté Review
^ The Policy mentions the introduction of Special Education modules to B.Ed. courses and
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL

certification programs for in-service teachers, however, the NCTE had introduced these changes in
Improved teaching-learning for CSWN 2014 and it is unclear the incremental value the NEP would add to teacher capacity
NEEDS (CWSN)

^ Improved access to technology and aids

^ Only 30% of Indian teachers are trained to address special needs1
^ Standardisation of Indian Sign Language
and increasing this number would be key to building confidence and
^ Special Education Certificate programmes
effectively incorporating improved TLM to classrooms,
for teachers
^ NEP offers no timelines for the same

^ Potentially powerful step for targeted action and measurement, however, in its current state Policy
DISADVATAGED GROUPS
SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY

Special Education Zones (SEZs): brief is silent on the scope of activities to be undertaken at SEZs, or how they might be
^ Areas with high mix of SEDGs to be administered
(SDEGs)

designated as Special Education Zones for ^ The Draft NEP suggested 2x per pupil spend vs average per pupil spend at State level, however, the
intensification of spends and efforts final contours of the policy on this front are awaited
^ Concentrated tracking of access and ^ The policy has also refrained from establishing concrete outcomes and targets to be tracked for
outcomes in these zones SEZs

Sources: 1: : “State of Education in India: Children with Disabilities”, UNESCO, 2019 ^ ARETÉ INSIGHTS: NEP 2020 29
 THANK YOU

► We’d love to hear from you :

Monika Sood, Senior Partner Shradha Vaid, Partner

+91 98110 04577 +91 99308 60730
monika.sood@arete-advisors.com shradha.vaid@arete-advisors.com www.arete-advisors.com Arete Advisors