Centre hopes to roll out National Education Policy in a year

On the sidelines of the first G20 Education Working Group meeting on Tuesday, Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education in the Union Ministry of Education was at Chennai

Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education in the Union Ministry of Education, at the G20 Education Working Group Meeting held in Chennai on January 31, 2023 | Photo Credit: RAGU R

The Union Ministry of Education hopes to roll out the new system envisaged in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in 12-18 months. The NEP envisages replacing the current 10+2+3 system (10 years of schooling; two years of secondary school; and three years of higher education) with the 5+3+3+4 system.

The new system comprises five years of primary education; three years each of middle school and secondary education; and four years of higher education.

On the sidelines of the first G20 Education Working Group meeting on Tuesday, Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education in the Union Ministry of Education, told media persons that with the new curriculum for the first five years ready for release “in the later part of the month [February]”, the curriculum for the rest of the new system would follow soon.

Delegates visiting exhibition-cum-stalls at the G20 Education working Group Meeting in Chennai on January 31, 2023 | Photo Credit: RAGU R

“We have already come out with the first 5-year segment — three years of pre-school and Class 1 and 2. Hopefully this should be launched in the latter part of this month. We will send this national curriculum framework to the SCERTs [State Councils of Educational Research and Training]. The SCERTs will customise it to their needs,” he said.

The first day of the three-day meeting had sessions on fundamental literacy and numeracy; higher education and technology use; and skill training for students and teachers. The meeting will continue till Thursday.

‘Leverage technology’

Earlier in the day, inaugurating the meeting, K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Higher Education Department, Union Ministry of Education, called on the G20 member-countries to collaborate to leverage technology further to achieve common educational targets.

(From left) Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman NETF, V. Kamakoti, Director IIT Madras and Chairman, IITM Research Park, Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education in the Union Ministry of Education and K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, DHI, MoE, during the inauguration of the G20 Education Working Group Meeting in Chennai on January 31, 2023 | Photo Credit: RAGU R

International organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank and OECD, besides nine countries other than G20 nations, are participating in the event.

The event was held at the research park of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. IIT-M Director V. Kamakoti spoke on equitable education for all and the challenges and the best practices in G20 countries in school and higher education and skill development.

An exhibition with 50 stalls was inaugurated to showcase research, innovation and cutting-edge technologies of the G20 countries.