National Education Policy - Implementation for Heads [Part 2]

 The National Education Policy aims that India have an education system by 2040 that is second to one, with equitable access to the highest -quality education for all learners regardless of social or economic background. https://www.mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf

As per NEP, the purpose of the education system is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution.

So let's analyze what it expects from Head of Schools to achieve this vision

1. The Head of school needs to revisit the vision and mission of the school with the key leaders and teachers and redraft it so that it aligns with the vision of the Education Policy. It needs to get it approved by the Management so that it is published on all school publications like diary, magazine, newsletter and more. 

2. HOS needs to conduct a workshop to orient teachers, students and parents on the NEP. 

 3. HOS needs to create short term and long term plans to gradually incorporate the requisites of the policy like academic change, assessment pattern, training of teachers and much more and note budget requirement for Management approval.  

3. HOS needs to create school policy which instills among learners a deep rooted pride in being Indian, not only in thought but even in spirit, intellect and deeds.  

As per NEP, this policy envisages that the extant 10+2 structure in school education will be modified with a new pedagogical and curricular restructuring of 5+3+3+4 covering ages 3-18.

Expectations from the Head

1. Modify the existing structure to the new one and create awareness among every stakeholder including the outside vendors so that the terms foundational, Preparatory, Middle and Secondary is synonymous with all. 

2. HOS with team of Heads & staff will explore the curriculum prescribed by the existing board and realign it with the National Curricular & Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) to meet the learning outcomes desired as per NEP. 

3. Every HOS will examine school's physical resources and create strategies to strengthen it with high quality infrastructure, play equipment, well trained workers and teachers. 

4. HOS with team of key personnel maps the curriculum to bring in play -based learning in the foundational years with a focus to develop cognitive, affective and psychomotor abilities along with literacy and numeracy. 

5. If large proportion of students entering Grade 1 have had no access to ECCE, then HOS with team of teachers apprise themselves of the three month 'school preparation module' developed by SCERT/NCERT and help students bridge the gap. 

6. HOS connects teachers to the digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing[DIKSHA] to access high quality resources. 

As per NEP, The aim of education will not only be cognitive development, but also building character and creating holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with the key 21st century skills.

Curriculum frameworks and transaction mechanisms will be developed for ensuring that these skills and values are imbibed through engaging processes of teaching and learning

Expectations from the Heads

1. Train the teachers to gain proficiency of the 21st century teaching methodologies and strategies like experiential learning, inquiry based learning, STEM learning and much more and how to implement them within the classroom. The NEP has already mandated 50 hours of CPD per year. 

2. Revisit the year plans, lesson plans, assessment formats with the teachers to bring in fun, creative, collaborative, and exploratory activities for students for deeper and more experiential learning. Let the subjects not be taught in isolation but as an interdisciplinary approach bringing in Arts, Culture and Sports and vocational streams. 

3. Introduce more choice of subjects at Secondary level for students to realize their potentials and also coding as a mandatory subject. In Grades 6 to 12, give option of learning at least two years of a classical language of India and its associated literature, through experiential and innovative approaches, including the integration of technology. Study the strengths and potentials of existing teachers and invest in them to teach more subjects. 

4. Coach teachers to speak in bilingual languages in the classroom to bring students closer to concept understanding and application through use of Mother tongue or State language.  

5. Motivate every student in the country to participate in a fun project/activity on ‘The Languages of India’, sometime in Grades 6-8, such as, under the ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ initiative. Expose students to rich literature of other languages like Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada etc through use of supplementary readers. 

As per NEP, All students will participate in a 10-day bagless period sometime during Grades 6-8 where they intern with local vocational experts such as carpenters, gardeners, potters, artists, etc. Similar internship opportunities to learn vocational subjects may be made available to students throughout Grades 6-12, including holiday periods.

Expectations from the Heads

1. Schools have formative and summative assessments and projects are a big component of formatives. Heads will need to revise the format of the assessments and give more prominence to formative which will include internships. 

2. Schools will forge strong community bonds and bring in the parents for additional support. Parents will have to ensure safety and security of the students and source out trustworthy people. 

3. Educational excursions/field trips/Student Exchange programs centre around “Knowledge of India” and interwoven with the prescribed curriculum so that it supports further learning. Ex: Std. VII studying Mughal period visits the North Indian states for further comprehension. 

4. Review the text book list for every grade and select textbooks which aim to contain the essential core material deemed important on a national level, but at the same time contain any desired nuances and supplementary material as per local contexts and needs.

As per NEP, the aim of assessment in the culture of our schooling system will shift from one that is summative and primarily tests rote memorization skills to one that is more regular and formative, is more competency-based, promotes learning and development for our students, and tests higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity.

Expectations from the Heads

1. Format the break up of summative and formative assessments for every grade and give more prominence to formative. 

2. Train teachers for deep questioning and Bloom's Taxonomy. 

3. Redesign the report/progress card to have a 360 degree approach which measures the uniqueness of each learner in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains.

4. Develop or source AI-based software for students to use to help them track their growth through their school years & to provide students with valuable information on their strengths, areas of interest, and needed areas of focus, and to thereby help them make optimal career choices.

5. Upskill teachers/students and parents for the redesigned Board Exams at Grade X and XII. Also, acclimatize them on school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 which will be conducted by the appropriate authority.

6. Regularly update oneself and teachers of PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) Centre developments which will advise school boards regarding new assessment patterns and latest researches, promote collaborations between school boards.

As per NEP, Topic-centered and Project-based Clubs and Circles will be encouraged and supported at the levels of schools, school complexes, districts, and beyond. Examples include Science Circles, Math Circles, Music & Dance Performance Circles, Chess Circles, Poetry Circles, Language Circles, Drama Circles, Debate Circles, Sports Circles, Eco-Clubs, Health & Well-being Clubs/ Yoga Clubs and so on.

Expectations from the Heads

1. Design the year planner to incorporate possible clubs and activities after interaction with the Academic Team to understand the availability of physical and human resource and the financial implications. 

2. Motivate students to enroll for competitions like National, and International Olympiads and many more. 

3. Outline the working of the club in great detail with the help of teachers like Purpose, Learning Outcomes, lesson plans, Activities, assessments and community reach. It should be followed by regular review meetings to evaluate its impact on student progress.

As per NEP, For subject teachers, suitable TET or NTA test scores in the corresponding subjects will also be taken into account for recruitment.

Expectations from Heads

1. Document the HR policy to include scores of TET for new recruits. Ensure interviews and demo lessons are included as part of recruitment. Follow the NCFTE [National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education] 2021 which will factor in the requirements of teacher education curricula for vocational education.

2. For vocational subjects, hire local eminent persons or experts as ‘master instructors’ in various subjects, such as in traditional local arts, vocational crafts, entrepreneurship, agriculture, or any other subject where local expertise exists, to benefit students and help preserve and promote local knowledge and professions. Take support from community and parents to hire people with sound backgrounds. 

3. A B.Ed is mandatory for every teacher. 

As per NEP, adequate and safe infrastructure, including working toilets, clean drinking water, clean and attractive spaces, electricity, computing devices, internet, libraries, and sports and recreational resources will be provided to all schools to ensure that teachers and students, including children of all genders and children with disabilities, receive a safe, inclusive, and effective learning environment and are comfortable and inspired to teach and learn in their schools.

Expectations from the Head

1. Document the physical infrastructure requirements and place it to the Management for support and PTA for any fee revisions. 

2. Create variety of committee like sanitation, library, laboratory, community support etc and have teachers lead it so that leaders are created. 

3. Ensure teachers are not engaged any longer in work that is not directly related to teaching. 

4. Compose detailed profiles of teachers, subject Heads, coordinators, administration for them to have better clarity of the expectations of the school. 

As per NEP, School Principals and school complex leaders will have similar modular leadership/management workshops and online development opportunities and platforms to continuously improve their own leadership and management skills, and so that they too may share best practices with each other.

Expectations from the Head

1. Evaluate the needs of the staff through class observation, feedback and monitoring. 

2. Source experienced trainers and training modules for the staff to develop their ASK [Attitudes, skills and knowledge]

3. Immerse oneself in continuous professional development courses and support staff with constructive feedback and suggestions. 

4. Teachers doing outstanding work must be recognized and promoted, and given salary raises, to incentivize all teachers to do their best work.

5. Develop collaboration with neighbouring schools and beyond for exchange of knowledge. 

As per NEP, Ensuring the inclusion and equal participation of children with disabilities in ECCE and the schooling system will also be accorded the highest priority

Expectations from the Head

1. The school will be inclusive in nature and all teachers are trained to accommodate variety of learners like gifted, physically challenges, and more. 

2. Invest in physical resources like technology-based tools, textbooks in accessible formats such as large print and Braille and in human resources like special educator after discussion with Management and studying financial feasibility. 

3. Sensitize teachers, parents and students on a regular basis to accept one another respectfully. 

As per NEP, Public and private schools (except the schools that are managed/aided/controlled by the Central government) will be assessed and accredited on the same criteria, benchmarks, and processes, emphasizing online and offline public disclosure and transparency, so as to ensure that public-spirited private schools are encouraged and not stifled in any way.

Expectations from the Head

1. Document every process in school be it admission, recruitment, assessment, teaching learning etc so that the school is ready for inspection at all times. 

2. Inform all stakeholders of assessment and accreditation standards and update oneself on the expectations and regulations. 

3. Create a positive perspective in all towards assessment and accreditation so that the environment is conducive and supportive at all times. 

The Heads have a huge task ahead of them as they are one who are continuously going to oscillate between the teachers, parents and Management to bring in the much needed reforms and changes for the students. The next few years will be session of unlearn, learn and relearn to study and evaluate the impact of the NEP on the nation's progress. 

NOTE: The views are mine inspired by the NEP and would love to hear your inputs on the same.