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We ( @dougj8921 and I) wrote a column on #NationalEducationPolicy2020 for @idr_online https://idronline.org/nep-2020-getting-the-basics-right/ As a lot of people have commented before us, we agree that the NEP presents a compelling, ambitious agenda for education reform in India. TL/DR version to follow
The problems are known - poor learning outcomes, impractical curriculum, overburdened teachers, over-emphasis on infra, low accountability, etc. Accordingly, there are a multitude of solutions too! The political battles notwithstanding, the NEP deserves our attention. @dougj8921
Our main messages: prioritise early grade learning, leave the details to the states, and turn the #COVID crisis into an opportunity by taking on bold reforms. We are of course not blind to the implementation challenges https://idronline.org/nep-2020-getting-the-basics-right/ @dougj8921
"Prioritise" - To make this work, the government should start with the most pressing and urgent objectives: expanding ECCE and raising foundational literacy. Returns to education are highest at the foundational level, and we know current learning levels are abysmal. @dougj8921
No policy can succeed if they don't measure what matters. The govt should prioritise assessing learning outcomes. We think the govt will be better served in the short-term using a nationally representative ASER-like survey rather than universal classroom tests. @dougj8921
To implement the sample-based survey, the central government should seek outside help rather than do it on its own. For the past 15 years, the ASER Centre has collected regular, accurate data on basic literacy and numeracy on a shoestring budget. @dougj8921
Strangely, the NEP provides little guidance on assessments—only stating that NAS will continue until the National Assessment Centre is established. This is worrying, particularly because assessment is an area where states would benefit from better guidance on methods. @dougj8921
Follow the evidence - For example, the NEP recommends hiring more teachers to maintain a pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of under 30:1. But data easily shows that the problem India has is one of lopsided teacher deployment, not an absolute shortage of teachers. @dougj8921
Research also shows that teacher qualifications and improved school infrastructure on their own have relatively little effect on student learning outcomes. And we would love to see the NEP move away from the input-obsessed RTE. recommendations. @dougj8921
The NEP will not succeed unless it gives states autonomy & encourages innovations. For example, a govt prog in Tamil Nadu in which #anganwadis were provided with an additional assistant who received only a short training resulted in large increases in both learning and nutrition.
Bold experiments are the need of the hour to improve learning outcomes in India. Finishing the curriculum cannot be the be-all and end-all of what goes on in a classroom. States should resize the #curriculum and teach children to their level. @dougj8921
Ultimately, none of this will work if the Centre intends to dictate terms to states - hopefully that is not the case! @dougj8921 @idr_online https://idronline.org/nep-2020-getting-the-basics-right/
