A few days ago, the government released the latest National Education Policy, the first one of the 21st century. And while every parent, news channel, and opinion-sharer has gently (or not so gently) dropped the report into conversation again and again, the main points we keep hearing about are the emphasis on regional language medium instruction and the reclassification of years of education into 5 + 3 + 3 + 4 years.
There are, however, a number of other brilliant points in the report that should be highlighted (not just because I’m a musician, and my father Dr. L. Subramaniam and I were invited to give our inputs to the members of the NEP Draft Committee), and I’ve listed my favourites here:
- It is increasingly clear that children don’t just need to learn, they need to learn how to learn.
- Curriculum must include arts, crafts, humanities, games, sports and fitness, languages, literature, culture, and values.
- There should be no hard separation between arts and sciences, curricular and extra-curricular activities. There should be holistic education across the sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities and sports.
- In Early Childhood Education, the numerous rich local traditions of India, involving art, stories, poetry, songs, and more, should be suitably incorporated.
- Drawing, painting and other visual art, craft, drama and puppetry, music and movement have been recognised as important tools for Early Childhood Education.
- Individual states can look into innovative methods to give students access to a wider range of subjects across the arts, sciences, humanities, languages, sports, and vocational subjects.
- Multilingualism should be promoted, and all language learning will aim to be experiential and enhanced through art, such as music, poetry, and theatre.
- Every student has innate talents, which must be discovered, nurtured, fostered, and developed.
- Topic-centered and Project-based Clubs and Circles (like Science Circles, Math Circles and Music Performance Circles) will be encouraged and supported at various levels.
- The new education policy must help reinstate teachers, as the most respected and essential members of our society, because they truly shape our next generation of citizens.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we can’t possibly predict what things will look like 20 years from now, when children are ready to enter the workforce. What we can say with certainty, however, is that we need responsible, well-rounded, and empathetic people taking charge.
The new policy is blurring the lines between “hard” skills like math and science, and “soft” or 21st century skills like teamwork and communication — and we can only take the first steps in that direction by focusing on the arts.
