How NEP is reshaping language policy, assessments, pedagogy in UP

As the debate intensifies in Parliament over Tamil Nadu government's opposition to National Education Policy (NEP) and the three-language policy, HT explores the progress made by the Uttar Pradesh government over the past four years in implementing NEP, particularly in the context of the UP secondary education and the languages adopted to promote multilingualism.

- Rajeev Mullick

LUCKNOW:

With a total student enrolment exceeding 1.04 crore, including over 54 lakh students (precisely 54,38,597) registered for the UP Board exam—27,40,151 in high school and 26,98,446 in intermediate—Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state has made some initial strides in implementing the NEP. However, the state still needs significant progress, requiring synergy between National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), as well as coordination among various education departments, including basic, secondary, higher, technical and vocational education.

Ashok Ganguly, former chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and member of the NEP 2020 steering committee in UP stated that the state was among the first to form a taskforce for implementation. The committee report outlines strategies for curriculum designs, pedagogy and evaluation.

He emphasised, "The three-language formula has taken a very firm root in UP and a government order has been issued to ensure the proper implementation of the 15-year of pedagogical structure in school education. However, adequate facilities in government and aided institutions remain a key requirement."