NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Education, in a debate throughout the Winter Lok Sabha session on December 16, 2024, supplied detailed updates about the progress and monetary outlays associated to the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The questions raised by Captain Viriato Fernandes, MP, centered round price range allocations, expenditure, and the standing of the NEP’s rollout in faculties and schools throughout the nation. The Minister of State for Education responded, shedding mild on funding mechanisms, state-smart implementation, and infrastructure improvement.
How a lot has the authorities spent on the New Education Policy to this point?
The Samagra Shiksha scheme, launched in 2018 and revamped for NEP 2020, has been a necessary component for the coverage’s implementation. The initiative integrates interventions equivalent to Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), vocational coaching, and digital infrastructure upgrades.
The funding beneath the Samagra Shiksha scheme, in keeping with the information, exhibits a gentle improve over the previous three monetary years. In 2022-23, ₹44,493.94 crore was allotted as the central share for this scheme aimed toward implementing NEP 2020. This allocation rose marginally to ₹44,813.41 crore in 2023-24 and additional elevated to ₹45,830.21 crore for 2024-25. The constant rise in funding displays the authorities’s effort to assist faculty schooling initiatives aligned with the NEP framework.
Additionally, the PM SHRI (Schools for Rising India) initiativelaunched in September 2022, dietary supplements Samagra Shiksha by creating mannequin faculties showcasing NEP parts. The PM SHRI faculties, that are designed to function mannequin establishments for implementing NEP practices. In 2023-24, the first 12 months of the initiative, ₹2,520.46 crore was allotted. This determine noticed a major soar in the following 12 months, with ₹5,921.71 crore earmarked for 2024-25. Here’s an summary of the improve.
The union authorities additionally launched the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA) in June 2023. This centrally sponsored scheme targets underserved areas and emphasizes high quality enhancements in state universities and schools. The whole budgetary outlay for 2023-24 to 2025-26 is ₹12,926.10 crore.
Key bills embrace:
- ₹540.56 crore disbursed to states/UTs over the final two years.
- ₹119.17 crore launched throughout the present monetary 12 months.
NEP in Action: Foundational Literacy, Smart Classrooms, and Flexible Higher Education Pathway
The implementation of NEP entails coordinated efforts throughout ministries, regulatory our bodies, and state departments. The Minister of State highlighted a number of transformative initiatives:
School Education: Programs equivalent to NIPUN Bharat intention to make sure foundational literacy and numeracy for college students by Grade 3. ICT infrastructure, good school rooms, and vocational schooling are being prioritized.
Higher Education: Measures embrace the introduction of the National Credit Framework (NCrF) and automatic scholar IDs (APAAR), together with reforms enabling a number of entry-exit factors in educational applications.
NEP 2020: Rising Budgets, Gradual Progress, and Persistent Challenges
The information surrounding the implementation of NEP 2020 reveals a blended image of progress and gaps. Over the previous three years, funding beneath key schemes equivalent to Samagra Shiksha has proven a gentle improve, rising from ₹44,493.94 crore in 2022-23 to ₹45,830.21 crore in 2024-25. These allocations underpin efforts to enhance foundational literacy via NIPUN Bharat, develop ICT infrastructure, and promote vocational schooling.
Similarly, the PM SHRI initiative witnessed a major rise in price range, from ₹2,520.46 crore in 2023-24 to ₹5,921.71 crore in 2024-25. This improve displays the authorities’s dedication to creating mannequin faculties showcasing NEP ideas. Additionally, the PM-USHA scheme, launched in 2023 to boost state universities, allotted ₹12,926.10 crore for three years. However, precise disbursements stay modest, with solely ₹540.56 crore launched to this point, elevating questions on implementation pace. Overall, whereas the information displays intent and incremental progress, systemic challenges stay.
