This is the third NEP released since its predecessor was passed 34 yrs ago. But, it's goals are far simpler than the 1986 policy: it focuses on enabling literacy & numeracy. Why? Less than 29% of Grade 3 students can perform subtraction (ASER,2018) (2/n) https://bit.ly/33k1bm5 
+Only 27.2% of Grade 3 students can read Grade 2 texts fluently. Drop out rates are high, & gender and caste/class gaps are still wide. Aparna, and Manish of @TeachForIndia explore why and how our past NEPs have failed India's students over the years
https://bit.ly/2BTxkWz  (3/n)
Why has this happened? Reason 1: Usual suspects of underfinanced education+poor policy execution. As the #NEP2020 seeks to increase education spending to 6% of GDP, is the state(s) competent to execute education policy? Ipsita reports from Feb. (4/n) https://bit.ly/3i62xVX 
Reason 2: The ability to learn well heavily depends on nutrition, health, & wellbeing. #NEP2020 seeks to universalise Early Childhood Care & Edu to address this. Good move. But, as Tanvi & I asked in '17, can we beat our currently poor ECCE coverage? https://bit.ly/2Pk34XO  (5/n)
But, our curricula remain sexist, queerphobic & increasingly majoritarian too--which the NEP is silent about, in all likelihood, because govts consciously manipulate textbooks willy-nilly. Much more needs to be done to bring about a systemic overhaul (7/n) https://bit.ly/3fpfMzg 
Reason 4: Our education system is toxic & *doesn't* foster learning. In response, the #NEP reduces curricula & the imp. of board exams. Great step.Upasna of @TeachForIndia writes on how children get trapped in low literacy levels because of the system (8/n) https://bit.ly/3grdzo4 
But, India's students & teachers generally face severe mental stress, only heightened thanks to COVID. Apurva of TFI writes on the mental support school stakeholders really need to continuously transition to new systems--which the NEP is silent on (9/n) https://bit.ly/31jexN8 
Reason 5: Medium of instruction. This is controversial, because on the one hand, research shows that learning in the mothertongue drastically improves literacy. That's what the #NEP suggests for students up till Grade 5 too. @evitarodrigu3s reports. (10/n) https://bit.ly/3gB9vlz 
But, English is a language endowed with tremendous social capital--as @manuraj1983 and Kancha Ilaiah note, it opens doors for oppressed communities. Taking away English could ironically counter education's--and the NEP's-- ability to equalise society(11/n) https://bit.ly/33j8uui 
Reason 6: Poorly trained and overstretched teachers affecting teaching and learning standards--so, the #NEP seeks to create a professional standards framework for teachers. It also plans to make training more rigorous. (12/n)
But, how do we scale quality teaching *outside of the metros* (where India's policy attention is usually focused?) Pranjali and Ashwini of @lfe_ed suggest mentors for teachers, to ensure an empathetic support system for them too. (13/n) https://bit.ly/2XnVlMN 
Those are the main reasons the NEP seeks to do what it does--but while it clearly recognises salient issues on paper, it also doesn't address the realities of implementation, state-centre conflicts, and social majoritarianism across lines of caste, gender, etc. (14/n)
For eg, making students digitally literate is a great ideal to aspire to. But how do you train teachers to train students to learn with technology, when none of these stakeholders are familiar with it, or have access in the first place? @lfe_ed (15/n) https://bit.ly/3k8FVpk 
Also, for a policy released during a pandemic, it doesn't address how COVID has changed the face of education. Our series 'Education in Times of COVID' is a useful primer on what the NEP should also be talking about w.r.t. 'India's future' (16/n) https://bit.ly/2XjX0CY 
The NEP addresses crucial pain points for Indian schools. But beneath glossy ideals, lie the less glamorous realities of India's fragmented society. Will ideals translate to reality? if what I've learned while editing our coverage is anything to go by, the jury's still out (17/n)
Of course, neither this thread nor our coverage is exhaustive: if you have thoughts on the NEP, & would like to write for us, please check our submission guidelines, and then mail your pitch to [email protected]. We welcome writers & thinkers of all backgrounds! (18/n)
We do our best to cover education rigorously: in fact, all the articles here were published much before the NEP was! If you find value in @_thebastion_, please consider supporting us: it *really* helps us cover education critically and independently (19/n) https://bit.ly/30mVrWT 
You can follow @Aarathii1.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: