The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is a comprehensive policy framework, approved by the Union Cabinet of India on July 29, 2020, that outlines the vision for a new education system. It is the first education policy of the 21st century and was created to replace the National Policy on Education, 1986, which was 34 years old. The policy was drafted by a panel led by former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan and aims to transform India into a global knowledge superpower by addressing the problem of an outdated system and a learning crisis where over 5 crore students had not attained foundational literacy and numeracy.
The core mechanism of the NEP 2020 involves a structural overhaul of both school and higher education. In school education, it replaces the 10+2 structure with a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure, bringing the age group of 3-6 years under the formal school curriculum. Key provisions include mandating the use of the mother tongue or local language as the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, and introducing vocational education from Grade 6. The policy aims to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy by 2025.
In higher education, the policy proposes a 4-year multi-disciplinary Bachelor's degree with multiple entry and exit options and aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) to 50% by 2035. It also proposes the establishment of the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as a single umbrella body for higher education regulation. The policy connects to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 4) and requires a 4-year Bachelor of Education as the minimum qualification for teachers by 2030. The policy replaced the National Policy on Education, 1986, and a recent change includes the scrapping of the 'No Detention Policy' for students in Classes 5 and 8 in December 2024, requiring them to retake failed exams.