A Review of the National Education Policy of the Government of India - The Need for Data and Dynamism in the 21st Century

Abstract

The call for feedback on the National Education Policy by the Government of India in 2019 is a historical opportunity for citizens given that since it was last reviewed 20 years ago. While the policy review process and format of feedback is promising in addressing issues that the Indian education system has been grappling with for decades, it has shortcomings when it comes to addressing student learning environments, equality of education, teacher training and continuous learning. My seven recommendations are inspired not only by my observations as a 12th standard student, who has studied for over 16 years in the Indian educational system but also by my exposure to the power of big data which I gained working on a research paper on the Aspirational District Program (ADP) at NITI Aayog. My recommendations focus on the school K-12 sector incorporating suggestions of surveying class and school factors which could affect which examination results, baseline ranking of schools across parameters for better awareness of infrastructure and teaching facilities, standardise teacher training, focus on teaching student life skills through experiential learning and subject diversity, review effectiveness of different education systems in India, enhancing and propogating vocational skills education and supporting accountability and transparency initiatives.