Demystifying Approaches of Holistic and Multidisciplinary Education for Diverse Career Opportunities: NEP 2020

Abstract

Objectives: To explore the roles of a Holistic Approach and Multidisciplinary education for diverse career opportunities with reference to its introduction in NEP 2020 for the placement of students and orient them in accordance with the requirements of the stakeholders. Methods: Amity University Uttar Pradesh conducted 52 Focus Group Discussions having 6 to 7 Principals in a group pan India. The selected principals of schools that had secured state/district rank based on Board results were invited to participate in an online focus group discussion. Their future action plans were deliberated through group discussions and the collected data was analyzed qualitatively. Findings: Deliberations and questions arose at the group discussions regarding the various Action Plans of educational heads for the introduction of Holistic and Multidisciplinary education in their institutions brought to light that many of the implementations suggested were in line with the execution of the major implementations already undertaken at Amity university. The focus group discussions brought forth the fact that several schools have a robust system of Career Counselling to achieve the Goals enlisted in NEP 2020. The panelists also suggested the need to have strong career counselling at the institutional/ university level to settle the psychological and emotional wellbeing as they shift from school to colleges/ universities. Novelty: The present study brought to light the practices followed and nurtured at Amity University in line with the tenets of NEP 2020 and draws a conclusion on the feasibility and prospectus of NEP 2020 in bringing forth the recommendation to the level of implementation. Flexibility in the choice based credit system, addressing the diverse career needs, courses designed as per the demand of the industry in diverse streams, making education more wellrounded through the introduction of value added courses, life skills, and robust mentor-mentee system are all effectively carried out at Amity University. Keywords: Holistic Approach; Restructuring System; Multidisciplinary Learning; Career Opportunity; Value-added Education System