National Policy on Education

The National Policy on Education (NPE) is a policy formulated by the Government of India to promote education amongst India's people. The policy covers elementary education to colleges in both rural and urban India. The first NPE was promulgated in 1968 by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the second by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986. It emphasizes three aspects in relation to elementary education:

universal access and enrolment, universal retention of children up to 14 years of age, and a substantial improvement in the quality of education to enable all children to achieve Revival of Sanskrit and other classical languages for contemporary use Since the nation's independence in 1947, the Indian government sponsored a variety of

programmes to address the problems of illiteracy in both rural and urban India. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India's first Minister of Education, envisaged strong central government control over education throughout the country, with a uniform educational system. The Union government established the University Education Commission (19481949) and the Secondary Education Commission (19521953) to develop proposals to modernise India's education system. The Resolution on Scientific Policy was adopted by the government of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The Nehru government sponsored the development of highquality scientific education institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology. In 1961, the Union government formed the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as an autonomous organization that would advise both the Union and state governments on formulating and implementing education policies NPE 1968. Based on the report and recommendations of the Education Commission (19641966), the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced the first National Policy on Education in 1968, which called for a "radical restructuring" and equalise educational

opportunities in order to achieve national integration and greater cultural and economic development. The Government of India accordingly resolves to promote the development of education in the country in accordance with many principles. In which the major principles are: 1. Free and Compulsory Education: Strenuous efforts should be made for the early fulfilment of the Directive principle under Article 45 of the Constitution seeking to provide free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14. Suitable programmes should be developed to reduce the prevailing wastage and stagnation in schools and to ensure that every child who is enrolled in schools successfully completes the prescribed course. 2. Status, Emoluments and Education of Teachers: (a) Of all the factors which determine the quality of education and its contribution to national development, the teacher is undoubtedly the most important. It is on his personal qualities and character, his educational qualifications and professional competence that the success of all educational endeavors must ultimately depend. Teachers must, therefore, be accorded an honored place in society, their emoluments and other service conditions should be adequate and satisfactory having regard to their qualifications and responsibilities. (b) The academic freedom of teachers to, pursue and publish independent studies and researches and to speak and write about significant national and international issues should be protected. (c) Teacher education, particularly in-service education, should receive due emphasis. 3. Implementation of three language formula: The policy called for focus on learning of regional languages, outlining the "three language formula" to be implemented in secondary education - the instruction of the English language, the official language of the state where the school was based, and Hindi, the national language. Language education was seen as essential to reduce the gulf between the intelligentsia and the masses. Although the decision to adopt Hindi as the national language had proven controversial, the policy called for use and learning of Hindi to be encouraged uniformly to promote a common language for all Indians. The policy also encouraged the

teaching of the ancient Sanskrit language, which was considered an essential part of India's culture and heritage. 4. Equality of Educational Opportunity: Strenuous efforts should be made to equalize educational opportunity. (a) Regional imbalances in the provision of educational facilities should be corrected and good educational facilities should be provided in rural and other backward areas. (b) To promote social cohesion and national integration the Common School System as recommended by the Education Commission should be adopted. (c) Efforts should be made to improve the standard of education in general schools. (d) All special schools like public schools should be required to admit students on the basis of merit and also to provide prescribed proportion of free-studentships to prevent segregation of social classes. (e) The education of girls should receive emphasis, not only on grounds of social justice, but also because it accelerates social transformation (f) More intensive efforts are needed to develop education among the backward classes and especially among the tribal people. (g) Educational facilities for the physically and mentally handicapped children should be expanded and attempts should be made to develop integrated programmes enabling the handicapped children to study in regular schools. 5. Identification of Talent : For the cultivation of excellence, it is necessary that talent in diverse fields should be identified at as early and is as possible, and every stimulus and opportunity given for its full development. 6. Science Education and Research: With a view to accelerating the growth of the national economy, science education and research should receive high priority. Science and mathematics should be an integral part of general education till the end of the school stage.

7. Production of Books: (a)The quality of books should be improved by attracting the best writing talent through a liberal policy of incentives and remuneration. Immediate steps should be taken for the production of high quality textbooks for schools and universities. (b)Frequent changes of textbooks should be avoided and their prices should be low enough for students of ordinary means to buy them. The possibility of establishing autonomous book corporations on commercial lines should be examined and efforts should be made to have a few basic textbooks common throughout the country. (c)Special attention should be given to books for children and to university level books in regional languages. 8. Examinations: A major goal of examination reforms should be to improve the reliability and validity of examinations and to make evaluation a continuous process aimed at helping the student to improve his level of achievement rather than at 'certifying the quality of his performance at a given moment of time. 9. Spread of Literacy and Adult Education: (a) The liquidation of mass illiteracy is necessary not only for promoting participation in the working of democratic institutions and for accelerating programmes of production, especially in agriculture, but for quickening the tempo of national development in general. Employees in large commercial, industrial and other concerns should be made functionally literate as early as possible. (b)A lead in this direction should come from the industrial undertakings in the public sector. Teachers and students should be actively involved in organizing literacy campaigns, especially as part of the Social and National Service Programme. 10. Games and Sports: Games and sports should be developed on a large-scale with the object of improving the physical fitness and sportsmanship of the average student as well as of those who excel in this department.

11. Education of Minorities: Every effort should be made not only to protect the rights of minorities but to promote their educational interests as suggested in the statement issued by the Conference of the Chief Ministers of States and Central Ministers held in August, 1961. 12. The Educational Structure: It will be advantageous to have a broadly uniform educational structure in all parts of the country. The ultimate objective should be to adopt the 10+2+3 pattern, the higher secondary stage of two years being located in schools, colleges or both according to local conditions.

The NPE of 1968 called for education spending to increase to six percent of the national income. The Government of India recognizes that reconstruction of education is no easy task. Not only are the resources scarce but the problems are exceedingly complex. The Government of India will also review, every five years; the progress made and recommend guidelines for future development. As of 2013, the NPE 1968 has moved location on the national website. NPE 1986 AND PROGRAM OF ACTION 1992 Having announced that a new policy was in development in January, 1985, the government of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi introduced a new National Policy on Education in May, 1986. The new policy called for "special emphasis on the removal of disparities and to equalise educational opportunity," especially for Indian women, Scheduled Tribes (ST) and the Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. To achieve these, the policy called for expanding scholarships, adult education, recruiting more teachers from the SCs, incentives for poor families to send their children to school regularly, development of new institutions and providing housing and services. The NPE called for a "child-centered approach" in primary education, and launched "Operation Blackboard" to improve primary schools nationwide. The 1986 National Policy on Education was modified in 1992 by the P.V. Narasimha Rao government. In 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh adopted a new policy based on the "Common Minimum Programme" of his United Progressive Alliance (UPA)

government. Programme of Action (PoA), 1992 under the National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986 envisaged conduct of a common entrance examination on all India basis for admission to professional and technical programmes in the country. For admission to Engineering and

Architecture/Planning programmes, Government of India vide Resolution dated 18 October 2001 has laid down a Three Exam Scheme (JEE and AIEEE at the National Level and the State Level Engineering Entrance Examinations (SLEEE) for State Level Institutions with an option to join AIEEE). This takes care of varying admission standards in these programmes and helps in maintenance of professional standards. This also solves problems of overlaps and reduces physical, mental and financial burden on students and their parents due to multiplicity of entrance examinations THE OBJECTIVES OF NPE1986&POA1992 The main objective of the National Policy of Education of 1986 and Programme of Action, 1992 was to establish a national system of education implies that all students irrespective of caste; creed, sex, and religion have access to education of a comparable quality. Actually, the objectives of this policy had been divided into the several aspects. In relation to Elementary Education, followings are the major objectives of National Policy of Education 1986 are mainly: Universal access and enrolment Universal retention of children up to 14 years of age and A sustainable improvement in the quality education to enable all children to achieve essential levels of learning.

Regarding Secondary Education, National Policy of Education stressed on the improvement of the quality of secondary education. Effort to be made to provide computer literacy in as many secondary level institutions to make the students equipped with necessary computer skills. Regarding higher education, National Policy of Education and Programme of Action of 1986 and 1992 emphasized that higher education should provide to the people with an opportunity to reflect on the critical social, economic, cultural, moral and spiritual issues. Thus, the basic objectives of the National Policy of Education of 1986 and Programme of Action of 1992 emphasized that education must play a positive and interventionist role in correcting social and regional imbalance, empowering women, and in securing rightful place

for the disadvantaged and the minorities. Government should take a strong determination and commitment to provide education for all, the priority areas being free and compulsory education, covering children with special needs, eradication of illiteracy, education for womens equality and special focus on the education of S.C.s (Scheduled caste)and S.T. s(Scheduled tribes) and Minorities. The educational policy as highlighted in the N.P.E. also emphasized on enhancing and promoting the vocationalisation of education, adult education, education for the mentally and physically challenged persons, non-formal education, open universities and distance learning, rural university, early childhood care and education. Delinking degrees from job was also one of the basic objectives of National Policy of Education of 1986. THE REVIEW COMMITTEES A committee was set up under the chairmanship of Acharaya Rammurti in May 1990 to review National Policy of Education (NPE) and to make recommendations for its modifications. The Central Advisory Board of Education, a committee set up in July 1991 under the chairmanship of Shri N. Janadhana Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh; considered some modifications in NPE taking into considerations the report of the Rammurti Committee and other relevant development having a bearing on the policy. This Committee submitted its report in January 1992, which is known as National Programme of Action of 1992. This policy aimed to promote national progress, a sense of common citizenship and culture, and to strengthen national integration. It laid stress on the need for a radical reconstruction of the education system, to improve its quality at all stages, and therefore gave much greater attention to science and technology, the cultivation of moral values and a closer relation between education and the life of the people. The following are the important revisions made in the NPE by the Committee: Common school system Elementary education Value education Early Childhood Care And Education

Promotion of womens education Education of SC,ST &OBC Navodaya vidyalayas