The proposed 5+3+3+4 formula in NEP 2020 is a new structural reform in the formal education system which will bring play schools within its ambit.
Dr Pavnesh Kumar & Chandan Veer
“To be an engineer you don’t need a degree, first and foremost thing which you need is a common sense”.
On 29 July 2020, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was set forth by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now renamed Ministry of Education). This policy has been put forward, with an aim to reconstruct the Indian Education System, in other words to we can say to transform the present Education system and prepare it for future requirements.
The NEP 2020 is a package with many benefits and advantageous provisions, but this article will discuss the upcoming journey of 5+3+3+4 in place of 10+ 2. This above numerical figure - [5+3+3+4] - is a new structural reform in the formal education system which will bring play schools within its ambit. Earlier, formal education was considered from standard one onwards.
The 10+2 system of formal education was mainly concentrated to a continuous standardized testing and was supposed to be a way to decide mastery or competence over a subject. Almost all schools whether private or government owned have the same antiquated system and schedule that was once beneficial to the agriculture based society and economy. Now the time has changed, industries and economy in the future will have a new level of requirement in terms of skills and knowledge. The new mechanized world requires a different kind of informed and knowledge equipped populace.
The NEP 2020 with such its transforming feature of 5+3+3+4, will result in a highly skilled, knowledgeable, entrepreneurial populace capable of pursuing their dreams and passions rather than the compulsion attributed by the current education system.
The NEP 2020 will bring a quality change in education at an affordable price. It reflects lesser regulation, better teaching and learning techniques, better teacher training and purposeful and relevant exams specially designed to access wisdom rather than knowledge. William Wordsworth said “A child is a father of Nation” and proper grooming of a child starts from day one. Including Play School in the purview of NEP 2020 shows the vision of the government. The NEP 2020 shares similarities in terms of its features with the education systems of Finland and South Korean. Both these are treated as the best education systems in the world.
South Korea has six years of primary school, three years of lower secondary school and three years of upper secondary school, which is academic or vocational in pattern. The education in school life involves basic study skills, problem solving, creativity and learning through play. The lower secondary school includes local language, moral education, physical education, English, music, arts and some elective papers.
In Finland every child gets early childhood education before their school age. In early childhood they learn social and manual skills, along with games, sports, music and excursions. The goal is to facilitate the development of and learning among children along with curiosity generation. In preschool, students learn things which will help them in schools. They can learn it in their own language and if not then they get assistance in learning Finnish or Swedish. During their school learning the focus is on developing cooperation rather than competition. The learning covers daily phenomena, information technology, communication and some vocational training. The goal has shifted from traditional examination evaluation pattern to practical skills development.
Much like the education systems of Finland and South Korea, the NEP 2020 also aims to develop human resource for the economy in the future which will be knowledge and information driven.
Play schools in India are hugely unorganized in terms of teaching, curriculum design and pedagogy. The NEP 2020 has extended its boundary and absorbed play schools; considering it an important part of formal education system. This will help in formalizing or assimilating them into the mainstream of education system. The national guidelines will help in formulating the system of play schools and making their functioning smooth and standardized. This will give edu-preneurs a unified direction to move into. The level of primary education along with employment opportunities will improve. Well recognized edu-preneurs or intellectuals will be in a position to contribute at a much higher level in education industry by opening pre-schools. The consideration of play school as a part of formal education will provide new opportunities for mushrooming and grooming of affiliated play schools. Till date very few play schools are under any formal education body or as per the expected standards. This will improve and transform the basic and the initial phase of learning.
Many researches have proven than being multilingual facilitates learning i.e. a multilingual student learns new things faster than a monolingual. They are more creative and problem solving. Multilanguage (Local Language) approach of learning will improve the poor literacy and numeracy associated with primary schools, reduce dropouts and provide early childhood care. This will help in realization of Sarwa Shiksha Abhiyaan. Bharat Ratna “Mahamana” Shri Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya had a mantra for students “Doodh Piyo Kasrat Karo, Nitya Japo Harinaam, Mann Lagai Vidya Padho, Purenge Sab Kaam”. He firmly believed in holistic development of students over career development. With the NEP 2020 this dream of Mahamana has leaped a step closer to reality.
(Dr. Pavnesh Kumar is Professor Department of Management Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar. Chandan Veer is Research Scholar Department of Management Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Central University Bihar.)