In the run-up to the 3^rd Anniversary of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) to be commemorated later this weekend, the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Regional Office, Hyderabad and Kendriya Vidyalayas, Gachibowli & UoH Campus, Hyderabad shared the achievements and the highlights of the journey of implementation of NEP in their respective Schools, here today.

The National Education Policy was brought out in the year 2020 aiming to transform India into a global knowledge superpower through broad-based, flexible, multidisciplinary education suited to 21st-century needs. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam which is coinciding with the 3^rd Anniversary of National Education Policy 2020, on 29th July 2023 in New Delhi. The two-day event is being organised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India and the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India.

Addressing the Media, the Deputy Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Regional Office, Hyderabad, Shri T. Gopalakrishna said that India aims to become a 5 trillion economy in the period of Amrit Kaal, and all sectors of the economy have to be bolstered and strengthened by supply of knowledge-oriented leadership and skilled workforce. He further said that NEP 2020 paves way for developing and grooming our youth for such a responsibility, preparing them for emerging job roles of the future. The policy emphasizes developing the foundational and higher cognitive capacities of each individual such as critical thinking and problem solving, he said.

In the context of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV)s functioning under the aegis of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India, Shri Gopalakrishna said that the focus of NEP 2020 is being implemented in true spirit in the areas of curricular upgradation and reforms, pedagogical practices and improved tools of assessment, continuous professional development of teachers and achieving the learning outcomes of each class. There are 77 JNVs functioning in the jurisdiction of NVS Hyderabad Region in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and 3 UTs, he added.

The Deputy Commissioner said that PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) is a centrally sponsored scheme intended to prepare schools of excellence. All categories of schools i.e. Primary, Elementary, Secondary and Senior Secondary school will be selected under this initiative to be transformed as Exemplar Schools, he added.

The Asst. Commissioner, NVS, Hyderabad, Shri Abhijit Bera said that the JNVs have shifted from traditional education system to competency-based education system which focuses on building competencies required for life-long learning and to prepare the students for career and life roles. We ensure that students become problem solvers, independent learners and successful in new contexts and JNVs provide need based timely support to the students and have developed an inclusive culture of learning, he said. Support is offered proactively throughout the learning and more emphasis is given on the process than end result. There is transparency with clear and explicit expectations, he added.

Shri Bera said that all learning outcomes are communicated to the students in advance which delineate not only the cognitive achievement but also the values, life skills and attitudes students would demonstrate at the end of a unit. He further said that the students are kept informed about exactly what is to be learned, the level of performance they need to demonstrate for mastery and how they are progressing throughout a course. Assessment is meaningful assessment which includes formative feedback that is useful, growth-oriented, and actionable, he said. Remedial learning opportunities, formative assessment and effective feedback are offered and it is ensured that mastery is achieved by the students when assessments demonstrate the application and transfer of essential knowledge and skills, he added.

The Asst. Commissioner, NVS, Smt. C.V. Shanthy said that experiential learning including hands-on learning, arts-integrated and sports-integrated education, story-telling-based pedagogy are evolved in consonance with NEP 2020. Strategies are planned and implemented in a systematic manner and all Principals prepare annual pedagogical plan for their respective JNVs.

The Principal, JNV, Rangareddy, Shri D. Vijayabhaskar in his brief said that JNV Rangareddy is very fortunate to be the part of PM Shri schools. Under this programme the teachers are going through 50 hours of CPD (Continuous Professional development) training via DIKSHA and CIET. They have been practicing Experiential learning, toy based, story and sports based pedagogies. The Competency based lesson plans are prepared and meticulously implemented, he explained. NEP has enabled us to create a conducive learning environment inculcating in the students a deep sense of respect for fundamental duties, constitutional values, universal human values of truth (satya), righteous conduct (dharma), peace (shanti), love (prem), non-violence (ahimsa), scientific temper, citizenship values, life-skills, he added.

The Principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Gachibowli, Shri Jitendra Kumar narrated the implementations in alignment with the recommendation of NEP – 2020, viz. the age of admission in Class I has been revised to 6+ years from the academic year 2022 – 23 in all Kendriya Vidyalayas; NIPUN BHARAT INITIATIVES (National Initiative for Proficiency in reading with Understanding and Numeracy) have been taken up in KVS most earnestly making FLN a reality by grade 3; Introduction of Balvatika - the number of KVs having Balvatika classes have reached to 500 during 2023-24; Vidya Pravesh: NCERT developed 3 Months Play Based ‘School Preparation Module’ for grade I named ‘Vidya Pravesh’ has been implemented in all the KVs across the country from the academic year 2021-22; National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF FS) is being followed by KVS along with providing Jadui Pitara based pedagogy to students; Skill subject - in order to ensure implementation of Vocational Education and to develop a skill during school period of children, Artificial Intelligence is introduced as a vocational subject in all KVs from Class VIII. Pre-Vocational skills such as carpentry, clay work, pottery, etc have been taken up in 2022-23 as fun courses for classes VI to VIII.

The Principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya, University of Hyderabad Campus, Smt. Mithravinda said that teachers have been trained through NISHTHA-I,II and III (National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement) programme besides short-term workshops and In-service training. These training programmes focus on areas such as Foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) pedagogy, assessment, and the use of technology in teaching, she said. Training on Toy Based Pedagogy has been carried out especially for the Primary Teachers to ensure joyful learning in the primary classes, she added.

She also explained about Vidyanjali Portal which supports a community/volunteer management program, PM e-VIDYA: A comprehensive initiative called PM e-VIDYA unifies digital/online/on- air education, Better Learning Environment to Students; - KVS is investing in infrastructure development to create a conducive learning environment for its students. Thus, it can be rightly said that KVS as an educational institution is leaving no stone unturned to implement NEP 2020 in its schools in letter and spirit, she added.

***