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tion that schools and higher education equity and investment banking (Chrys
institutions can be well-governed by Capital) to promote the K-12 educa-
highly-educated and experienced tion-focused Central Square Foun-
principals, deans and vice chancel- dation, Delhi (estb.2012) to improve
lors who are mindful of the reputation the learning outcomes of all children,
of institutions under their watch and especially from low-income commu-
accountable to their stakeholders to nities.
provide acceptable learning outcomes, Although NEP 2020 directs all
is beyond the imagination of estab- regulatory authorities to desist from
lishment academics and career bu- making distinction between public
reaucrats. What India’s beleaguered and private schools, there is a discern-
education institutions urgently need ible thread of prejudice against private
is autonomy and a governance frame- schools and HEIs running through the
work of the trust and verify model. policy document. While acknowledg-
The basic presumption of the for- ing that the “current regulatory regime
mulators of NEP 2020 that leaders of has not been able to curb the commer-
schools and HEIs need detailed guid- cialisation and economic exploita-
ance and prescriptions from an al- Dhawan: private education blindspot tion of parents” by “many” for-profit
phabet soup of government-managed schools, NEP 2020 admits there has
institutions, to improve learning out- to say that parents and communities been “far too much asymmetry be-
comes and institutional reputation, is need to be protected from arbitrary in- tween regulatory approaches to public
flawed, if not entirely fallacious. creases in tuition fees. The plain truth and private schools,” and professes an
“ NEP 2020 IS AN excellent in India Report released on July 22, preschool to class XII education. Yet
intent to create level playing field in
as highlighted in our Private Schools
as indicated by several references to
is that 47 percent of school-going
guidance document which
offers several overdue re-
form recommendations. children are enrolled in the country’s commercialisation and exploitation
of students by private education insti-
450,000 private schools. These are
Its emphasis on early childhood edu- not elitist, exclusive institutions as tutions in the policy document, anti-
cation and foundational learning and popularly believed. Seventy percent private prejudice is deeply ingrained
numeracy as the cornerstones of the of them levy tuition fees of less than in government.
education system, board exam re- Rs.1,000 per month and 45 percent In this connection, it’s pertinent
forms and introduction of formative of less than Rs.500. Discriminatory to note that the KR Committee’s NEP
assessment, will undoubtedly build a provisions in the RTE Act, 2009 and draft devoted a paragraph under a
solid learning foundation for India’s legislation of several state govern- separate heading “regulation and
children and youth. But curiously, the ments should have been removed by oversight of private schools” drawing
contribution of the country’s private NEP 2020,” says Ashish Dhawan, a a distinction between philanthropic
schools to Indian K-12 education is Yale and Harvard-educated alum who and “commercial” enterprises with the
glossed over in the new policy, except forsook a successful career in private former to be encouraged and the latter

NEP 2020: Critical reforms in school education Source: Central Square Foundation

01 02 03 04 05 06

National Mission Universalization Setting-up of Key Stage Creation of Accreditation
on Foundational of Early National Exams in Grades National and Standard
Literacy Childhood Care Assessment 3, 5, and 8 Educational Setting
and Numeracy and Education Centre - Technology
(FLN) (ECCE) PARAKH Forum (NETF) for
technology in
education

AUGUST 2020 EDUCATIONWORLD 45