Holistic and multidisciplinary educational approach; A conceptual framework

Abstract

The NEP 2020 is the chief education policy of the twenty-first century, paving the way for a change from the 34-year-old National Policy on Education that was implemented in 1986. The initial pillars of NEP 2020 are Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability. It aims to transmute India into a flourishing information society and universal knowledge giant by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible, and multidisciplinary that will suit the 21st century and onward needs. It focuses on bringing out the individualistic and excellent capabilities of each child. A cursory glimpse of the policy causes apprehension with its attractive headlines and phrases. There is no doubt that this is an outstanding document with astonishing educational ideas, presented with a range of recommendations; some unique, some reiterated, and others reclaimed from earlier policy declarations. Terminologies and matter-of-fact imagination in the policy document seem to divert the attention of people and institutions away from the actual education world. As an investigator meticulously examines the policy's contents, one becomes more aware of the gap between key policy ideas and the present reality of education in India. This brief doctrine analysis aims to explore and exemplify some of the crucial thoughts of NEP 2020, which attempts to be holistic and multidisciplinary education. The present study has been undertaken keeping the following research questions in mind: Do we find any strong theories related to the multidisciplinary approach? What are the challenges of NEP 2020 with respect to holistic and multidisciplinary education? The present theoretical views are extremely useful for teacher educators, educational policymakers, and teachers.