The National Education Policy of India 2020 (NEP 2020), approved by the Union Cabinet of India on
29 July 2020, outlines the vision of the new education system of India. It replaces the previous
National Education Policy 1986. The vision of the policy is to build an education system
rooted in Indian ethos that contributes directly to transforming India by providing high-quality
education to all, thereby making India a global knowledge superpower.
Highlights of New Education Policy
- Focus on early childhood care and education (ECCE) & foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN)
- Curtailing dropouts and ensuring universal access at all levels of school education
- Learning should be holistic, integrated, enjoyable, and engaging
- Teacher empowerment
- Equitable and inclusive education: learning for all
- Standard-setting and accreditation for achool education
- Adoption of pedagogically sound teaching & learning practices
- Adoption of technology in teaching, learning and assessments
The New 5+3+3+4 Academic Structure
10+2 refers to two years of schooling post grade 10. According to India’s new National Education
Policy (NEP) 2020, 10+2 schooling system in India is set to be replaced by a new 5+3+3+4 system.
Here is the age-wise breakdown of the different levels of the school education system based on
the New Education Policy, 2020
5 years of Foundational Stage:
- For ages: 3 to 8
- For classes: Pre-primary, Class 1 & Class 2
- This stage will focus on teaching with play-based or activity-based methods and on the
development of language skills.
3 years of Preparatory Stage:
- For ages: 8 to 11
- For classes: 3 to 5
- The focus in the preparatory stage will remain on language development and numeracy skills.
- Here, the method of teaching and learning would be play and activity-based, and also include
classroom interactions and with an element of discovery.
3 years of Middle Stage:
- For ages: 11 to 14
- For classes: 6 to 8
- As per NEP 2020, this stage of school education will focus on critical learning objectives,
which is a big shift from the rote learning methods used in our education system for years.
- This stage will work on experiential learning in the sciences, mathematics, arts, social
sciences and humanities.
4 years of Higher Secondary Stage:
- For ages: 14 to 17
- For classes: 9 to 12
- This stage will cover two phases: Classes 9 and 10, and classes 11 and 12.
- Concepts will be covered in greater depth in this stage.
