Board exam in 12th class, semester, 4-yr degree, no MPhil: New education policy in a nutshell

HYDERABAD: The Union Cabinet has approved the New Education Policy, which infuses wholesome and qualitative changes in the system after 34 years. Here is a look at the most significant features of the new education policy:

5 years of Fundamental (Primary) Education:

♦ Nursery at the age of 4 Years

♦ Jr KG @ 5 Years

♦ Sr KG @ 6 Years

♦ 1st Standard @ 7 Years

♦ 2nd Standard @ 8 Years

3 Years of Preparatory Education:

♦ 3rd Standard at the age of 9 Years

♦ 4th Standard @ 10 Years

♦ 5th Standard @ 11 Years

3 Years of Middle Education:

♦ 6th Standard at the age of 12 ​​Years

♦ 7th Standard @ 13 Years

♦ 8th Standard @ 14 Years

4 Years of Secondary Education:

♦ 9th Standard at the age of 15 Years

♦ Standard SSC @ 16 Years

♦ Standard FYJC @ 17 Years

♦ Standard SYJC @ 18 Years

Other important features:

♦ No more board examinations in 10th Standard.

♦ Board examinations will be in 12th class only.

♦ MPhil will be done away with.

♦ The College degree will be of 4 years.

♦ Now students up to 5th standard will be taught in their mother tongue, local language and national language only.

♦ The rest of the subjects, even if it is English, will be taught as subjects.

♦ Also, examinations will be held in the semester system from 9th to 12th class.

♦ Schooling will be taught under the 5+3+3+4 formula.

♦ The college degree will be of 3 and 4 years. In a nutshell, the certificate after the first year of graduation, diploma after the second year and degree at the end of the third year.

♦ The 3-year degree is meant for students who do not wish to pursue higher education.

♦ Students aiming for higher education will have to do a 4-year degree.

♦ Consequently, students going for a 4-year degree will be able to complete an MA in one year.

♦ Since MPhil has been scrapped, post-graduate students can now go for a PhD straight away.

♦ In another significant change, students will now be allowed to do other courses in between.

♦ The gross enrollment ratio in higher education will be 50 percent by 2035.

♦ Also under the new education policy, a student wishing to do another course in the middle of a course, can go for the second one by taking a break from the first course for a limited period of time.

♦ Graded academic, administrative and financial autonomy is among the many reforms in higher education brought in as part of the new education policy.

♦ Also, e-courses will be commenced in regional languages.

♦ Virtual Labs are going to be developed.

♦ A National Educational Scientific Forum (NETF) will be launched.

♦ Uniform rules for all the institutions – government, private and deemed – in the country.

♦ The earlier education policy has been replaced with the New National Education Policy.

♦ The Ministry of Human Resources will henceforth be known as the Ministry of Education.

♦ The national education policy will make education universal, barring medical and law studies.

♦ The earlier pattern of 10 plus two has been done away with. Under the new policy, the pattern of 5+3+3+4 will be followed.

♦ There will no more be Science, Commerce and Arts streams.

♦ Students are given the flexibility to study accounting along with physics or arts, if they wish so.

♦ Computer languages will be taught to students as early as in the 6th standard.

♦ All schools will be equipped with digital technology.

♦ All types of content will be translated into regional languages while virtual labs will be built.

♦ The new National Education Policy will cost the country 6 percent of the GDP for its implementation.

♦ A student can study Sanskrit and other ancient Indian languages.

♦ Board exams will be held twice a year to relieve the student of the stress.

♦ Artificial Intelligence software will also be used to facilitate learning more effectively.

♦ The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will come up with the national curricular framework for schooling.

♦ Several institutions will be established to carry out the National Education Policy.

♦ Specific emphasis on the children’s education and talents.