WEBINAR - NEP 2020
(FEBRUARY 19, 2021)
“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the new National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 with an aim to introduce several changes in the Indian education system - from the school to college level. A webinar on the NEP 2020 was organised on February 19, 2021 at 3:00 PM by the Centre of Excellence (Panchkula). It was livestreamed through YouTube. The session was conducted by Ms Arti Chopra, Principal, Amity International School, Sector 46, Gurgaon, and moderated by Neeti Shankar Sharma. This was the second of a series of NEP webinars for school principals, teachers and other stakeholders.
Ms Arti Chopra touched upon all aspects of the NEP 2020. She said that teachers were the oxygen of the educational system and an important part of the changes planned by the NEP. She explained the salient features of the four stages of schooling as envisaged by the NEP. She emphasized that ECCE was the foundation of the educational system and teachers would be given special training covering early literacy, numeracy and languages. She also said that a play-way class would be introduced before promoting students to grade I. The aim of the NEP was the attainment of foundational literacy and numeracy by the time a student reached grade III. One of the crucial objectives of the NEP is to curtail dropout rates and facilitate universal education, and Ms. Arti Chopra spoke at length on the ways and means to achieve this goal.
Ms Chopra also spoke about inculcating twenty first century skills in students by empowering teachers with these skills. She also made it clear that love for one’s country, its language and history would be integrated with the teaching learning process through K-12, in all schools and in every subject. She mentioned that under the NEP flexibility would not just be applicable to students but also to teachers who would be given a variety of textbooks to choose from. She then went on to talk about setting a minimum standard for accredited CBSE schools. The NEP would also ensure the highest level of question papers as paper setters were being trained to develop content for a Centre of Assessment being planned under the programme. The NEP has planned a shift to competency-based teaching and learning which will be achieved through a number of capacity building programmes that schools will conduct for teachers.
The hour long webinar was highly informative with the resource person explaining every aspect with great clarity.
