New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS): On 29th of July last year, the Government of India unfurled a revolutionary National Education Policy, popularly known as NEP 2020. It was a radical move as for the first time, after 34 years, the government formulated a new education strategy replacing the previous one, announced in 1986 and revised in 1992. The key aim of the new policy has been to accelerate digitalisation and technological advancements and practical skills in the overall Indian educational landscape, helping the country transform into a global talent powerhouse.

With a year into its implementation, many industry players and field veterans have lauded the policy for its truly futuristic features as it is ushering the nation into a space where education strives for equity, accessibility and excellence. NEP 2020, with its focus on strengthening the school, higher education & vocational education ecosystem, is trying to create an environment facilitating students in the actualisation of their full potential.

Appreciating the government's decision to reformat the country's existing education policy in line with current global advancements, Mr Sarvesh Shrivastava, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Eupheus Learning, said, "The grand vision of NEP 2020 is to enable experiential learning by integrating curricular and co-curricular areas, this approach will be key to equip children with the 21st-century skills to face the new world. In parallel, technology adoption has been accentuated by this unprecedented pandemic. The onus is on the Content players, schools, and teachers to assimilate the intent and effectively change management to adapt to the new thought process. Eupheus Learning has been integrating curricular and supplemental areas since its inception and in the process has onboarded more than 5500 schools Pan India to adopt our ideology which is in alignment with the NEP."

FICCI Arise, which has been relentlessly working towards promoting quality education at all levels, recognised the efforts put in by the government with the NEP 2020 as it categorically focuses on making education inclusive for all students. Commending the strategic impact of the new policy, Praveen Raju, Co-Chairman, FICCI ARISE; Founder, Suchitra Academy, said, "The correct implementation of NEP 2020 is going to allow India to become a global hub of education, where for the past year, the focus has largely been on digitalisation, stronger faculty and fair choices for students. Furthermore, changes like the academic bank of credit, multiple entries and exit options for higher education students, internationalisation of higher education with credit transfers, twinning programmes, etc. will help students thrive in a rapidly changing world and moreover contribute to human capital development at large, which shall further boost India's dream of a 5 trillion economy."

The new education policy has deliberately introduced several modifications into the system to increase the accessibility & availability of quality education to all. Commemorating NEP 2020 on the occasion of its first anniversary, Sunil Dahiya, Executive VP, Wadhwani Opportunity at Wadhwani Foundation, said, "NEP 2020 is a crucial step towards nation-building, assuring the student youth of India with the opportunities and direction to achieve their dreams. With powerful initiatives like NDEAR and NETF, education is set to become more accessible and affordable, thus paving the path for India to become a 21st-century economy, focused on economic acceleration through the value of holistic education."

Talentedge celebrates the new policy for it is not only taking premium education out of tier I cities to tier II and Tier III cities but also bridging the gap between current learning outcomes and desired market skills.

Commenting on the takeaways, changes and evolution of the education sector after one year of NEP, Mr Aditya Malik, MD & CEO, Talentedge, said, "The National Education Policy 2020" by the Indian Government has brought progressive clauses in the education system. One of these includes permitting the NIRF Top 100 Universities to offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees online. To increase the country's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) by 50 per cent in the next 10 years, NEP's promotion of online education has enabled many to access quality learning from the top Universities. The country's finest institutions can now provide education across the nation through the 'direct on device in conjunction with the on-campus' approach. With NEP completing one year, we can see a significant shift in the Higher Education sector as it is becoming more inclusive, engaging, outcome-oriented, and skill-driven. It most certainly is an exciting space to be in."

The progressive policy with its multi-disciplinary approach is creating a long due tectonic shift in the industry by moving away from a content-heavy curriculum towards promoting critical thinking, developing a holistic view, and infusing an inquiry-based attitude. It is encouraging innovative, analytical, observational and discussion-oriented learning. Besides, it has also encompassed a modernistic assessment approach by introducing SAFAL (Structured Assessment For Analysing Learning), a high-order thinking skills-based assessment procedure. NEP 2020 has, with its forward-looking outlook and ambitious approach, has brought in enormous opportunities for the country's young population to reach their full potential and leverage this mass skill development movement to create a better future.