What should the New NEP focus on?

WHAT SHOULD THE NEP FOCUS ON?

Back home again!!... We are discussing the re-engineered inputs to the National Education policy.. Committees, Meetings, Symposiums, Public debates, Consultations......and then all the feelings articulated into a bundle of words that are read!!

We have articulated our policies in education from time to time.. Still some basics of the Kothari Commission Report are yet to be understood and implemented.. We cannot relive them a near fifty years later..Let us forget!

As of now, I think we really need an “out of box” thinking with regard to our policy rather than customising it to meet the needs of a few well-wishers, wherever they are - left, right, middle, sitting on the windows, sitting on the fence, just waiting to shoot the bullets of their thoughts on a few lifeless paragraphs of some printed papers!-

Window dressing. .. as a nation of tamed thinkers we have perfected the art.... or putting statements here and there which would help us to pat our back. (because no one else will do it! )

Policy should necessarily correlate with Human Potential requirements for the next decade! (To be reviewed subsequently).... To prepare a generation of Knowledge Technologists..!! (I presume the world is looking only for that!)                                              

Any future document should focus on pragmatic strategies that would focus on “education” rather than “certification.” 

A policy that would liberate “Learning” from “Teaching”!!

A few broad inputs that should go into such a document could be:

a. Skill orientation rather than rote learning

b. Massive teacher ( I would prefer to call them henceforth as co-learners) training to change the pedagogical skills that would promote innovative thinking, creativity and promotion of talents.

c. Recognition of teacher (co –learners) as prime movers/agents  of productivity and wealth generation

d. Research-  meaningful, original, applied and utilitarian...

e. Performance appraisal (objective) rather than “Pass or Fail” (positive focusing on what one can do rather than what one cannot do!)

f. Credibility and validity in Assessment practices – with national acceptability (if not international)

g. Encourage competition and private participation to deliver quality at feasible costs. (Quality certainly has a cost and it must be acknowledged)

h. Talent search and empowerment not stratified within the framework of rules for reading, writing and certifying.

i) Defining, mentoring and measuring Professionalism in Schools, Colleges and Universities

j) Developing opportunities both lateral and vertical for learning at all levels (multi-level entry for proven performances)

k) Reinventing science education both basic and applied through the entire vertical of the learning process

l)   School safety through establishment of National/State School Safety Authority to ensure the safety of learners and school environments (Young learners have no voice – The voice of parents need not always be objective, my apologies!)

The Role of the Government and its prime organs engaged in education should focus more on governance, mentoring, enabling and facilitating than being retail players!

Ensuring performance, quality and excellence in all government institutions through well articulated mentoring, monitoring and evaluating strategies.. (Ensuring per capita cost effectiveness in management and delivery of education processes)

Global engagement and competitiveness has to be promoted to ensure our identity with the dynamic global community..

Flexibility in learning disciplines, schedules, packages and opportunities for lateral learning has to be enabled to shift skills, expertise and experiences!

Quality of higher education has to move miles ahead and  beyond, and   so that theit knowledge is productive, operable and deliverable.. Industry, business, education collaboration should be promoted and encouraged to deliver joint certifications..  (At least then, the pattern of questions and the study of the last three years question papers and production of guides for these papers may 

undergo a change!)

Enterprise and employability skills need to be contextualized to save the incubation and development time during (for) employment.

Quality consciousness, Ethics and Efficacy has to be the underlying principle from ‘zero to infinity’ in the educational process ...

Our schools and colleges need not be temples of learning as was envisaged in the past decades, (I intend to be a little modern!)  but at least they should not be shops (I am satisfied to be a little conservative)!!