Key Features
Key Features
The National Education Policy 2020 was approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 July 2020 and replaced the National Policy on Education of 1986. It is India's third education policy, after 1968 and 1986, and it covers school education and higher education together with a single aim of access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability.
Headline provisions for school education
- A new 5+3+3+4 curricular structure replacing 10+2, covering ages 3 to 18.
- Universalisation of school education with 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio by 2030 from pre-school to secondary level.
- Public spending on education to be raised to 6 per cent of GDP by the Centre and states together.
- Teaching up to at least Grade 5 in the mother tongue or regional language, with no language imposed on any student.
- A national mission on foundational literacy and numeracy, which became NIPUN Bharat.
- Vocational education with internships from Class 6, and coding introduced at middle stage.
- No hard separation between arts, science and commerce, or between curricular and extra-curricular activities.
- The minimum qualification for teaching to be a four-year integrated B.Ed. by 2030.
Institutional changes to remember
| Body or term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Education | The renamed Ministry of Human Resource Development |
| PARAKH | The national assessment centre for standards, review and analysis |
| NCF | New National Curriculum Frameworks, beginning with the Foundational Stage in 2022 |
| Bal Vatika | The pre-school year before Class 1 in a school |
| School complex | A cluster of neighbouring schools sharing teachers and resources |
| Academic Bank of Credit | Credit storage for higher education, not school level |
| Gender Inclusion Fund | Funds for the education of girls and transgender students |
Equity provisions
The policy names Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups — including gender, caste, tribe, minority, disability, geography and socio-economic condition — and proposes Special Education Zones for regions with large numbers of such children, along with the Gender Inclusion Fund.
✗ NEP 2020 replaced the National Policy on Education of 1992. | ✓ It replaced the 1986 policy, which had been modified in 1992.
संकेत: NEP 2020 = तीसरी राष्ट्रीय शिक्षा नीति; पहली 1968, दूसरी 1986 (1992 में संशोधित)।
NEP 2020 is now a fixed part of the CTET syllabus and gives 2-3 questions across the paper, often inside CDP and pedagogy sections rather than in a separate policy block. The most repeated facts are the year and the structure. Learn the numbers precisely: 2020 approval, replaces 1986, third policy, 5+3+3+4, 100 per cent GER by 2030 for school education, 6 per cent of GDP, mother tongue till at least Grade 5, four-year integrated B.Ed. by 2030. The favourite trap swaps 1986 and 1992.
Frequently asked questions
When was NEP 2020 approved and which policy did it replace?
The Union Cabinet approved it on 29 July 2020. It replaced the National Policy on Education of 1986, which had been modified in 1992, and is the third national education policy after those of 1968 and 1986.
What does NEP 2020 say about the medium of instruction?
Wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, should be the home language, mother tongue or local language, and no language is to be imposed on any student.
What is the GER target set by NEP 2020 for school education?
A 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio in school education, from pre-school to the secondary level, by 2030, along with bringing back into school the children who are currently out of it.
60-second recap
- NEP 2020 approved 29 July 2020; third policy, replaces NPE 1986.
- 5+3+3+4 structure for ages 3-18 replaces 10+2.
- 100 per cent GER in school education by 2030; 6 per cent of GDP.
- Mother tongue as medium up to at least Grade 5.
- Four-year integrated B.Ed. to be the minimum teaching qualification by 2030.