Five years since the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was unveiled, India finds itself at a pivotal crossroads in educational reform. Envisioned as a transformative blueprint for overhauling the education system, NEP promised not just access, but a holistic and inclusive approach from early childhood through higher education. However, as multiple experts note, the real challenge lies not in its vision but in its implementation.

In this episode of #ChecksandBalances, Geetanjali Minhas discusses with education experts the transformative policy and its implementation challenges  

You can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/lq50rd-uj04?si=GPYHKYA724-bOJpx

Here are the highlights of what the experts said:

NEP2020: A transformative vision for Indian education
Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Vice Chancellor, Central Sanskrit University

Beyond RTE: A holistic framework
NEP 2020 broadens the scope to ages 3–18, integrating foundational learning, higher education, and research. It is not just about increasing enrollment but focuses on holistic development, inclusivity, and quality education.

Addressing learning outcomes and teacher training
The current challenges in learning outcomes due to untrained teachers and quality infrastructure. The NEP introduces the Integrated Teacher Education (ITE) program and initiatives like NISHTHA and MMMTEC to train over 4.5 million teachers. These programs aim to create a pool of well-equipped educators who are trained alongside their academic degrees.

Multilingualism and language policy
The NEP emphasizes multilingual learning, debunking the myth that only English ensures employability. Students can learn in their mother tongue, and the three-language formula is designed to be flexible, offering choices without imposing Hindi. Indian languages are positioned as national languages, promoting unity while respecting diversity.

Higher education in regional languages
The NEP proposes an optional path for students to pursue specialised streams in higher education like engineering and medicine in regional languages, ensuring equal opportunity. English-medium education will continue to coexist, giving students the freedom to choose.

Implementation roadmap
Critics may say that there is lack of clear SOPs, but policies are flexible frameworks, not rigid protocols. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and new textbooks up to Grade 8 are already in place, showing early success. A systemic impact needs consistent implementation for 10 years for required results.

Funding and infrastructure
The NEP targets 6% of GDP for education, but India currently spends around 3.1%. The Union Budget for 2025–26 saw a 10% rise in allocation, reflecting the government’s intent. Infrastructure and planning must precede budget hikes, and needs support of all stakeholders including state and public-private collaboration.

Bridging the digital divide
Initiatives like ABP (Amended BharatNet Program) aim to digitally empower rural areas, reaching every gram panchayat. Digital access, while still a challenge, is improving rapidly.

Inclusivity and disability
The NEP addresses education access for marginalized and differently-abled students. The focus now must shift to social acceptance, parental awareness and building customized support infrastructure, particularly for students with autism or slow-learning needs.

Concerns on autonomy and commercialization
The NEP encourages autonomy for academic innovation, but there is the need for strong regulation to prevent commercial exploitation. Models like 25% reservation in private institutions for underprivileged students have been successful examples of balancing access and quality.

The NEP is a dynamic and adaptive policy, requiring time, cooperation, and infrastructure to succeed. All stakeholders — government, educators, parents and communities — need to be patient yet proactive in its implementation.

Five Years of NEP: A Flexible Blueprint, Not a Uniform Mandate
Dr Shakila T Shamsu, former OSD (New Education Policy) Ministry of Education, former Secretary, Draft NEP  

Implementation and federal structure
The NEP respects India’s federal structure by allowing states to localize reforms, particularly in school education where a detailed implementation framework exists. In higher education, even without a central roadmap, regulatory bodies like UGC and AICTE have issued guidelines to guide institutions, with flexible timelines based on their readiness.

Empowerment and autonomy
The policy aims to empower three core stakeholders: students, teachers and institutions. The NEP promotes autonomy but warns against its misuse, especially amid fears of commercialization. While autonomy is necessary for innovation, regulatory bodies must act firmly against profiteering and misleading practices by private players.

Beyond RTE: Holistic and inclusive reform
The NEP expands the education paradigm from ages 3 to 18, with a focus on pedagogical and curricular transformation rather than mere access. The NEP also integrates vocational education, arts, physical development, and technology into the curriculum, aiming for holistic student development.

Foundational learning and Anganwadi capacity building
We are conscious of the issue of age-appropriate competencies among students and we started the focus on foundational literacy and numeracy through the NIPUN Bharat Mission. In Early Childhood Care (ECC), we emphasized capacity building for Anganwadi workers through certification and online modules, with multiple implementation models to reduce over-dependence on a single workforce.

Teacher training and digital divide
For teacher training, initiatives like NISHTHA also address their attitudinal barriers toward technology. With students often more digitally adept than teachers, there is a need for improved digital infrastructure and digital device banks, especially for underprivileged students. One cannot but emphasize the importance of bridging the digital divide while scaling up smart classrooms and AI-driven learning under schemes like PM SHRI and a lot of responsibility coming in from CSR funds as also our own attempt to have digital banks.

On the three-language formula
NEP 2020 promotes flexibility and never mandates any specific language. It encourages early learning in the mother tongue and supports bilingual education to ease transitions into higher education. Misinterpretations stem from political narratives rather than policy directives.

6% GDP allocation: still a distant goal
The challenge lies not just in budgetary constraints but also in institutional capacity to utilize funds effectively. This requires better planning, transparency and leveraging public-private partnerships, CSR and alumni networks to bridge funding gaps.

Inclusivity and special needs education
The NEP adopts a broad definition of ‘socially and economically disadvantaged groups’ and includes provisions for children with physical and learning disabilities. While frameworks exist, there needs more concrete action at the ground level, including mapping, specialized educators and sensitive learning environments.

Policy, not politics
Stakeholders should separate politics from policy and focus on the shared objective of strengthening Indian education. This needs patience and flexibility in implementation. In a diverse country like India, ‘one size fits all’ is neither realistic nor desirable.

Missed Opportunities and the Road Ahead
Prof. Leena Wadia, Dean (Education & Outreach), University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, and member, the Drafting Committee, Draft NEP 2019 

Policy implementation and urgency
Despite efforts by the Ministry of Education and some states we have lost a decade from the policy's announcement in 2014 to its implementation delays till 2025. This has impacted an entire generation of schoolchildren because every year we let go our children are one year older. Our demographic dividend is flying past. We need urgency, collaboration, and clarity in execution.

Federal coordination and role of states
There is lack of coordination between the centre and states, especially after forums like the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) stopped functioning. Education, as a concurrent subject, requires the centre to guide and support states, given that over 90% of students study in state-run institutions.

Beyond RTE: NEP’s broader vision
While the RTE Act laid the groundwork, the NEP extended its vision across all stages of learning—from early childhood to higher and vocational education. The integration of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) into mainstream schooling in the NEP is a significant step to fix mismatches in age-appropriate learning and language instruction.

Digital infrastructure and vocational education
Digital and vocational education remains underdeveloped. With only around half of schools having access to computers and the internet, the situation is way off the mark. Lack of understanding and vocational education being perceived as second class education has led to underfunding of vocational programs. There is an urgent need for investment in teacher training and learning infrastructure to capitalize on India's demographic dividend.

Three-language policy
NEP has a flexible, non-mandatory approach to the three-language policy, especially the removal of Hindi as a compulsory subject. Research supports multilingual learning in early childhood but across states there are inconsistencies in its implementation.

Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog (RSA) and governance gaps
The omission of the proposed National Education Commission or Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog (RSA) from NEP 2020 has weakened the policy. RSA was envisioned as a long-term oversight and coordination body, and meant to provide continuity in education policy amid frequent political and bureaucratic changes.

Teacher training and NISHTHA
The NISHTHA training program is very good but only about half of India’s 9.8 million schoolteachers have been covered so far. The program requires faster and more inclusive rollout, especially as teacher training has long-term impacts.

Autonomy vs. commercialization
Institutional autonomy is essential for responsiveness in education. However, there is a need for stronger accreditation to eliminate poor-quality institutions and avoid exploitation.

Inclusivity and multiple entry/exit
The NEP's multiple entry and exit system in higher education was designed to support students facing economic distress, allowing them to pause and resume studies. Its original intent—equity and flexibility—has been diluted during implementation, shifting focus away from its target demographic.