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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 3715
ANSWERED ON 25/03/2026
Implementation of NEP, 2020 and holistic education vision
3715 Dr. K. Laxman:
Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:
(a) how the NEP, 2020 is reshaping the learning landscape to focus on critical thinking,
foundational literacy and holistic development;
(b) the transformation visible in schools adopting NEP-aligned pedagogy and competency-
based learning; and
(c) how students in Telangana will be benefitted from the policy's emphasis on mother tongue
instruction and flexible subject choices?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) to (c): This National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is the first education policy of the 21st
century and aims to address the many growing developmental imperatives of our country. It
is based on the principle that education must develop not only cognitive capacities - both the
‘foundational capacities’ of literacy and numeracy and ‘higher-order’ cognitive capacities,
such as critical thinking and problem solving – but also social, ethical, and emotional
capacities and dispositions.
The Samagra Shiksha scheme aims to foster critical thinking among learners through
activities like the Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyan - to encourage innovative teaching through
science and math circles, mentoring by eminent experts, and exposure visits to inspire interest
in STEM education; Tinkering Labs; Competency-based assessments and Experiential
Learning.
This Department has launched a National Mission called “National Initiative for
Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat Mission (NBM))”
for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains Foundational Literacy andNumeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 2. To achieve the objectives of NBM, financial
assistance is provided to the States and UTs under the integrated centrally sponsored scheme
of education namely, Samagra Shiksha.
Vidya Pravesh - a 3-months play based ‘School Preparation Module and Guidelines’
for Grade I has been launched to promote school preparedness in all children coming to
Grade-I from diverse backgrounds (Balvatika, Anganwadi Centers (AWCs), at home, private
play schools etc.). It provides play based, age and developmentally appropriate learning
experiences in a joyful and stimulating environment leading to holistic development to
bolster a child’s pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, cognitive and social skills. This programme is
being implemented across the country.
Jaadui Pitara (JP), a set of 53 play-based learning-teaching materials for ages 3-8 has
been launched and is available in 22 Indian languages. JP includes toys, puzzles, story cards,
flashcards, and teacher handbooks. Its digital extension offers multilingual stories, activities,
songs in 22 Indian languages. As envisaged in NEP 2020, these initiatives are an integral part
of the foundational stage.
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has developed the
National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE 2023) and the National
Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCF-FS)
The Scheme further aims to focus on holistic development to improve student
outcomes. Initiatives include provision of providing skill education through hands-on
training, resource persons, and internships; extra-curricular activities; development of sports
facilities and the engagement of yoga/sports coaches to promote physical well-being;
establishment of Eco-clubs. The Government is taking a multi-pronged approach to provide
psychological support to students, teachers, and families for mental and emotional wellbeing.
The Ministry of Education’s initiative MANODARPAN covers a wide range of activities to
provide psychological support through a national toll-free helpline.
The Government of India conducts periodic large-scale assessments to measure
learning and education outcomes across the country. PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PRS),
2024 evaluated the learning competencies/outcomes of students in FLN, Language and
Mathematics at the end of each of the educational stages.
PRS 2024 findings highlight a significant improvement in FLN skills outcomes,
reflecting the positive impact of the NBM as envisioned in NEP 2020. It reflects that the
performance of children in Grade 3 in rural school is better than urban schools and
government schools have outperformed the private schools at foundational stage.
The NEP, 2020 lays a lot of stress on promoting multilingualism and making efforts
to keep Indian languages vibrant throughout the Nation including the State of Telangana. It
is well understood that young children learn and grasp nontrivial concepts more quickly in
their home language/mother tongue. Home language is usually the same language as the
mother tongue or that which is spoken by local communities. The NEP 2020 mentions that
wherever possible the medium of instruction up to at least class 5 and preferably up to class 8
will be in the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language and learning ofIndian languages should be integrated with school education so that students have the option
of studying in any Indian language.
Further, NEP 2020 advocates increased flexibility and choice of subjects to study,
particularly in secondary school - including subjects in physical education, the arts and crafts,
and vocational skills – so that students can design their own paths of study and life plans.
NEP 2020 provides for no hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and
extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams, etc. in order to
eliminate harmful hierarchies among, and silos between different areas of learning.
Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) schools are being set up as NEP
2020 exemplar schools and are expected to become the template for other schools.
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