The National Education Policy 2019, is the new face of the Indian Education system. Drafted under the guidance and the chairmanship of K. Kasturirangan, this policy undertakes various new ideas that can make the Indian Education System stand out from the rest of the globe.

This policy focuses on areas of school education, higher education, culture building and transforming education. This new addition to the Education system is built on the foundational pillars of ‘Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability. & The main focus areas of the National Education Policy, 2019 are:

For School Education

1. In school education, a major reconfiguration of curricular and academic structure with early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) as an indispensable part of school instruction is proposed. The Committee also prescribes the expansion of Right to Instruction Act 2009 to cover children of ages 3 to 18.

2. A 5+3+3+4 curricular and academic structure based on cognitive and socio-emotional formative stages of children: Foundational Stage (age 3-8 years): 3 years of pre-primary also Grades 1-2, Preliminary Stage (8-11 years): Grades 3-5, Middle Stage (11-14 years): Grades 6-8 and Secondary Stage (14-18 years): Grades 9-12.

3. The schools will be re-organized into school complexes. It too seeks to decrease the content load within the school instruction curriculum.

4. The policy emphasis on children learning three Indian languages from 1 st to 3 rd standard. Also, the policy recommends that the students should be taught in their home language till 5th standard and any foreign language (including English) will be considered as 4th language.

5. There will be no hard partition of learning areas in terms of curricular, co-curricular or extra-curricular areas and all subjects, including arts, music, crafts, sports, yoga, community service, etc., will be a part curriculum

6. It also advances a dynamic instructional method that will center on the advancement of core capacities, life skills, including 21st-century abilities.

7. The private and public institutions will be treated on par and education will remain a not for profit activity.                

For Higher Education

1. The committee proposes for enormous change in teacher education by closing down sub-standard teacher education institutions and moving all teacher arrangement or education programs into huge multidisciplinary universities/colleges.

2. The four-year integrated stage-specific B.Ed. the program will eventually be the minimum degree qualification for teachers.

3. In higher education, a restructuring of higher education institutions with three types of higher education institutions is proposed:  Focused on world-class research and high-quality teaching, focused on high-quality teaching across disciplines with significant contribution to research, and high-quality teaching focused on undergraduate education.

4. This will be driven by two missions — Mission Nalanda and Mission Takshashila. There will be re-structuring of Undergraduate programs. For example, BSc, BA, B Com, B Voc of three or four years of duration and having multiple exits and entry options.

5. The four functions of Standard setting, Funding, Accreditation and Regulation to be separated and conducted by independent bodies: National Higher Education Regulatory Authority as the only regulator for all higher education including professional education,creation of accreditation eco-system led by revamped NAAC, professional Standard Setting Bodies for each area of professional education and UGC to transform to Higher Education Grants Commission (HEGC)

6. Several new policy initiatives for promoting the internationalization of higher education, strengthening quality open and distance learning, technology integration at all levels of education, adult and lifelong learning and initiatives to enhance participation of underrepresented groups, and eliminate gender, social category, and regional gaps in education outcomes are recommended.

For Transforming Education

1. The committee has proposed to rename HRD as Ministry of Education (MoE).

2. A new apex body, Rashtriya Shiksha Ayog, is proposed to enable a holistic and integrated implementation of all educational initiatives and programmatic interventions and to coordinate efforts between the Centre and the States.

3. Promotion of Indian and classical languages and setting up three new national institutes for Pali, Persian, and Prakrit and an Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation(IITI) have also been recommended.

4. Establishment of a National Research Foundation: A new NRF will be set up through anAct of Parliament, as an autonomous body of the Government of India, to fund, mentor, incentivize, and build capacity for quality research across the country in all disciplines, primarily at universities and colleges, both public and private.

5. Setting up of a new National Educational Technology Forum for enhancing educational access and improving teaching, learning and evaluation process.

6. Integrating vocational education into all schools, college and universities.