2022, Vol. 4, Issue 2, Part B

India’s cultural heritage and rich historical past has always promoted the philosophy and commitment towards inclusive education, but despite many international and national efforts in past, inclusive education has remained a distant dream and far from becoming a reality. Recent National Education Policy-2020 has come with a new promise, vision and hope to thoroughly conceptualize, systematically plan and implement various comprehensive and concrete strategies to overcome various issues and challenges associated with inclusive education so far. As is clear from the policy document, it has huge potential to change the face of the education ecosystem in India. There are high hopes from this latest government initiative, but this is also imperative to understand that the benefits of any policy lie in its implementation in a properly planned and conceptualized manner.

At the outset, as one critically analyzes the document, it gives hope and promise for creating huge mass of educated population empowered with innovative thinking, life skills, rigorous research skills with an ability to give effective contribution in the growth and development of national in diverse sectors. Therefore, it is expected that the huge reforms which are warranted in NEP-2020 will transformation the face of present education and modify the psyche of upcoming generation towards becoming an informed and committed citizen of India with a progressive mindset.

At concrete level, with maximum emphasis on equity and inclusivity the real outcome of NEP-2020 would be realized when the children in remote areas get access to education. Many students from the underrepresented and disadvantaged sections should find various ways to be fully included in the learning experiences of different educational institutions in the coming decades. Policy also guides for the incorporation of sustainable development goals in the curriculum. It spells a long-term vision with far reaching impacts. It will also strengthen the culture of inclusion, innovation and institution in the large sphere of Education. The idea of imparting education in mother tongue has also been emphasized in order to help the young minds grow spontaneously. In a nutshell, NEP- 2020 has the potential to be a powerful agent of social change and thus celebrating and promoting the children with diverse needs across domains and contours.