Reading the National Education Policy Against Practices in Delhi University
N.P Ashley | 17 January 2024 | The Wire
I went back to the National Education Policy, 2020 and read it all over again.
Why wouldn’t I? That, we the teachers and students in higher education are told, is the basis of all that makes up for the changes in the last one and a half years; one short hand that justifies the new steps; one open sesame of newness, if you like!
This “first educational policy of the 21st century”, intended to be “operational during 2030-2040”, presents certain aspects as foundational and it would be good to review these ideas against the steps taken so far using the teaching experience in Delhi University – an early bird and thus a likely forerunner in NEP implementation.
“Holistic development” is one mantra in the NEP. The NEP argues against “the hard separation” of arts and sciences as well as between curricular and extra-curricular activities. Student-run, faculty-mentored clubs and activities are said to be so important that the NEP has provisions for funding them! But in Delhi University, where I teach, the NEP system has increased the number of courses for students, leaving them in the class room practically throughout the day. The number of classes in courses has been reduced – when many of these courses were taught with almost the same content and in 60% of the number of lectures in the earlier scheme. This overcrowded scheme not only makes learning rushed, summary-based and superfluous but also takes away the time for student activities, diminishing their “holistic development”.