Parliament Question: Initiatives under National Education Policy, 2020

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 228 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 Initiatives under National Education Policy, 2020 †*228. Shri Sanatan Pandey:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) the details of various initiatives taken by the Government under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 to enhance the quality of education at all levels from primary to the university level in the country;

(b) the details of budgetary allocation earmarked for the said purpose since the implementation of the policy, State/UT-wise and year-wise; and

(c) whether there is any proposal to make education skill-based/vocational oriented at secondary level to ensure gainful employment for students after completion of class XII in the country and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) to (c): A statement is laid on the table of the House. *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (C) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 228 FOR REPLY ON 09.03.2026 ASKED BY SHRI SANATAN PANDEY, HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING INITIATIVES UNDER NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY, 2020

(a) to (c): After announcement of National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), a number of transformative initiatives have taken both in school and higher education for its implementation.

In School Education several initiatives have been taken such as PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) for upgradation of schools; Samagra Shiksha for providing quality education with an inclusive and equitable classroom environment for all children; National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat) for ensuring foundational literacy and numeracy by Grade 3; Vidya-Pravesh–Guidelines for Three-month Play-based School Preparation Module; PM e-VIDYA to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable coherent multi-mode access to education; launch of National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF FS) and Jadui Pitara for play-based learning teaching material tailored for children between the age group of 3 to 8 years; NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement) 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0; Vidya Samiksha Kendra; Integrated Teacher Education Programme;

National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) for creating a unifying national digital infrastructure to energise and catalyse the education ecosystem; implementation of a scheme “New India Literacy Programme or ULLAS” targeting all non-literates age 15 years and above, etc.

In Higher Education, various initiatives / reforms have been carried out such as National Credit Framework (NCrF) and National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) in conjunction with guidelines / regulations like Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programme; Multiple Entry and Exit in Academic Programme offered by Higher Education Institutions; Transforming HEIs into multi-disciplinary Institutions; pursuing two Academic Programme simultaneously; Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR ID) of individual student which will act as lifelong identity to track their educational journey and achievements from, pre-primary to higher education; introduction of PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme to provide financial support to meritorious students inter-alia enabling collateral free, guarantor free loan through a simple, transparent and student-friendly and entirely digital application process;

revised regulation of ODL / Online Education; re-envisioned Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Program to build competencies in faculty for better teaching; permitting up to 40% credits in regular courses using SWAYAM platform; launch of new SWAYAM Plus portal with aim to enhance skill and upskilling and reskilling of existing manpower employed in different sectors; Integration of technology in administration of HEIs from admission to grant of degree through SAMARTH;

guidelines on Professor of Practice to enable HEIs to work with industry experts; guidelines for supernumerary seats for admitting students from abroad in Indian HEIs; Academic collaboration between Indian and Foreign HEIs to offer Twinning, Joint Degree and Dual Degree Programmes;

Regulation for permitting Foreign HEIs to setup campuses in India; enhanced reputation of the Indian HEIs in international ranking; embedding of Indian Knowledge system in the education etc.

Union Budget 2026-27 has announced setting up of 5 University Townships in the vicinity of major industrial and logistic corridors and 1 girls’ hostel in every district through Viability Gap Funding /capital support to encourage enrolment of girls in STEM institutes/ courses.In Department of School Education & Literacy the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), aligned with NEP 2020, institutionalizes skill education by integrating it directly into the middle and secondary stages to ensure parity with academic subjects.

The Department of School Education & Literacy is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, which inter-alia promotes vocational education by supporting States and UTs to introduce skill exposure for students in Grades 6 to 8 and NSQF-aligned skill courses for Grades 9 to

12. At the secondary stage, students take skill modules as an additional subject, while at the senior secondary stage, skill courses function as elective subjects. A total of 138 approved job roles are offered, and each includes an employability skills module covering communication, self- management, ICT, entrepreneurship, and green skills. The Department is also implementing PMKVY 4.0 in schools, with 350 Kendriya Vidyalayas providing skill training. More than 21,700 schools now host School Innovation Councils to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and IP awareness.

At the secondary level (grades 9 to 12), the National Council of Educational Research and Training

(NCERT) has developed curriculum and textbooks for employability skills, which are embedded across all skill courses. The skill curricula and textbooks developed by NCERT are based on the job roles in various sectors, under the National Skill Qualifications Framework (NSQF), which is a quality assurance framework.

Employability Skill module has been included as a part of Job Roles/SWAYAM courses in the curriculum which includes Communication Skills, Self-Management Skills, Information and Communication Technology Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills, and Green Skills.

The NCERT has developed e-learning materials, videos, and virtual skill labs (VSLs) to expand access to skill education, especially where physical resources are limited, ensuring that all students can develop practical, job-ready skills alongside academic learning.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) offers 22 skill subjects in classes 9-10 and 43 in classes 11-12 to upgrade the skills and proficiency of the young generation and explore the various career options available.

Under Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) by NITI Aayog, Atal Tinkering Labs have been established in schools to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), robotics, electronics, and 3D printing.

Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) launched in collaboration with IIT Madras, hosts content curated by premier institutions and is available free of cost with the approach of “Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime” Learning. More than 4400 unique courses have been delivered with cumulative enrolments of more than 5.64 Crores. To support skill development, the SWAYAM Plus portal has also been launched, focusing on upskilling and reskilling the workforce.

At present, over 480 Courses across 16 sectors are available on the platform.

For realizing the vision of "Make AI in India and Make AI work for India", the Government had approved establishment of three Centres of Excellence (CoE) in Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a total financial outlay of Rs. 990.00 Cr over the period of FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28. Ministry of Education approved three academic institutions for establishment of three Centres of Excellence

(CoE) – CoE of AI in Health at IISc Bengaluru, CoE of AI in Agriculture at IIT Ropar and CoE ofAI in Sustainable Cities at IIT Kanpur. Further, a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Education announced in Budget 2025-26 for a total outlay of Rs. 500.0 Cr, is being led by IIT Madras.

The Ministry of Education also implements the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) to impart on-the-job training and enhance the employability of youth.

AICTE is actively strengthening skill development by embedding it into technical education. It partners with industries and institutions to offer online skill courses aligned with the regular curriculum, along with skill-focused programmes, compulsory internships, and vocational degrees such as Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc). These initiatives are designed to build students’ practical abilities and improve employability. Based on self-reported figures from AICTE-approved institutions, diploma placements grew from 1,80,866 in 2023–24 to 1,91,801 in 2024–25.

Undergraduate placements also increased significantly, from 4,10,843 to 4,71,227 during the same period. Additionally, AICTE has signed MoUs with leading industries and organisations to support internships, skill-building, and faculty upskilling, including hands-on exposure to Industry 4.0 technologies.

Various schemes/projects/programmes run by the Ministry have been aligned with NEP 2020. As far as Central Government is concerned, it has increased its Budget allocation from Rs. 93,224.31 Crore for the year 2021-22 to Rs. 1,04,277.72 Crore for the year 2022-23, to Rs. 1,12,899.47 Cr. for the year 2023-24, to Rs. 1,21,117.77 Crore for the year 2024-25, to Rs. 1,28,650.05 Crore for the year 2025-26 and Rs. 1,39,289.48 crore for the year 2026-27.

For the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), the Budget Allocation for the FY 2026- 27 of Rs. 83562.26 Cr, is the highest ever allocation for the department. There has been an overall increase of Rs. 4,990 crore (6.35%) in the Budget Allocation for DoSEL in FY 2026–27 compared to the Budget Estimates (BE) 2025–26.

For Higher Education, the overall Budget Allocation for FY 2026–27 is Rs. 55,727.22 crore. There has been an overall increase of ₹5,649.27 crore (11.28%) in the Budget Allocation of the Department of Higher Education in FY 2026–27 as compared to FY 2025–26.

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