Implement Equity & Inclusion with NEP 2020

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) have significant importance while deploying any policy. NEP 2020 has tried to incorporate all these important parameters to ensure consistent teaching & learning outcomes for diversified country like Bharat (India). Diversity is about differences, equity is about providing equal access, and inclusion is about fostering a sense of value and empowerment among students, teachers, and parents.

In Bharat (India) where we have diversity in the languages, food, social & financial status, it’s important for us to implement equity and inclusion appropriately. Let’s understand equity with real life example. Consider we have 3 students in the class with different heights and they are asked to observe an object from class window. For sure student below the window height won’t be able to see things outside the class window. This is where we need to implement Equity & Inclusion principle to ensure all the students in the class can see desire objects.

National Education Policy NEP 2020 overview

Let’s understand National Education Policy NEP 2020 in detail. Following are the key principles of NEP 2020

  • Respect for Diversity & Local Context – In all curriculum, pedagogy and policy
  • Equity & Inclusion – As the cornerstone of all educational decisions
  • Community Participation – Encouragement and facilitation for philanthropic, private and community participation.
  • Use of Technology – In teaching and learning, removing language barriers, for Divyang students, and in educational planning and management.
  • Emphasize Conceptual Understanding – Rather than rote learning and learning-for-exams
  • Unique Capabilities – Recognizing, identifying them in each student.
  • Critical thinking and Creativity – To encourage logical decision-making and innovation
  • Continuous Review – Based on sustained research and regular assessment by educational experts.

Each of the above principles need to be implemented across all the schools (Government & Private). “WHAT” part of policy is very clear, now it’s a responsibility of esteemed schools to define “HOW” part for the successful implementation of NEP 2020.

In this blog we’ll cover what to be done to ensure implementation of equity and inclusion with NEP 2020.

Focus on Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs)

SEDGs can be broadly categorized based on:

● Gender identities (particularly female and transgender individuals),

● Socio-cultural identities (such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, and minorities),

● Geographical identities (such as students from villages, small towns, and aspirational districts),

● Disabilities(including learning disabilities), and

● Socio-economic conditions (such as migrant communities, low income households, children in vulnerable situations, victims of or children of victims of trafficking, orphans including child beggars)

According to U-DISE 2016–17 data, about 19.6% of students belong to Scheduled Castes (SC) at the primary school level, but this proportion falls to 17.3% at the higher secondary level. These enrolment drop-offs are even more severe for ST students (10.6% to 6.8%), Muslim students (15% to 7.9%), and children with disabilities (1.1% to 0.25%), with even greater declines for female students within each of these SEDGs. The decline in SEDGs’ enrolment in higher education is even steeper.

We have 1Bn+ global population with special abilities who need special attention from education system and society to live normal life. Along with SEDG, we need to build strong eco-system across all the government and private schools to make their life comfortable.

Ensuring Equity

NEP 2020 has outlined following resources & guidelines to provide equity and inclusion to Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups

  • Targeted scholarships
  • Conditional cash transfers to incentivise parents to send their children to school
  • Providing bicycles for transport
  • Build eco-system of early childhood care and education
  • Hiring of counsellors and teachers that work with and connect students, parents, schools, and teachers to improve attendance and learning outcomes
  • Put more focus on Special Education Zones (SEZ) contain significantly larger proportions of SEDGs
  • Fee waivers
  • Build additional schools like Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas around the country, especially in aspirational districts, Special Education Zones and disadvantaged areas, to increase high -quality educational opportunities in every area of India
  • Focus on attainment of learning outcome of children belonging to SC/ST/OBC

Gender

The exclusion and inequity that SEDGs face is only amplified for the women. NEP 2020 has proposed following guidelines to ensure equity and inclusion for all the genders belongs to SEDG community

  • Safety and Rights

Careful attention to safety and rights of all children particularly girls to retain them in school

  • KGBVs

Strengthening and extension of KGBVs (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas) up to grade 12

  • Gender Sensitivity

‘Gender Sensitivity’ to be an integral part of curriculum

  • Policies targeted for Girls

Thrust on designing policies and schemes targeted towards female students in the SEDGs

  • Bridging Gender Gap

Focus on bridging the Gender Gap and provide equal opportunities to all.

  • Gender Inclusion Fund

Gender-Inclusion Fund for female and transgender students

Supporting Children with Special Needs (CWSN)

  • Enabling Mechanisms

Enabling mechanisms for CWSN or Divyang to receive quality education

  • Regular Schooling

Children with special needs will be integrated in the regular schooling process from elementary to higher education levels

  • Assistive Devices and Orientation to Parents

Technology enabled assistive devices/tool for CWSN and orientation of the tools/devices for parents/caregivers

  • Modules

NIOS will develop high-quality modules to teach Indian Sign Language

  • Alternative Schools

Alternative forms of schools will be encouraged to preserve the alternative pedagogical styles

  • Certificate Courses

Certificate courses for pre-service and in-service teachers to become special educators

NEP 2020 school curriculum will include, early on, the material on human values such as respect for all persons, empathy, tolerance, human rights, gender equality, non-violence, global citizenship, contribution of culture in sustainable development and sustainable lifestyle, inclusion, and equity. Children shall learn the basic philosophy of ancient Indian civilisation and the inherent acceptance of diversity.

Build system to understand teaching & learning strength and gaps

28% population of our country is under 14 years of age so we need to do all our level best to implement scientific system to understand teaching & learning strength and gaps on daily basis. Teaching and learning are happening every day so monitoring, measurement and analysis should also happen on periodic basis.

Manually we can’t track the progress of how we are implementing equity and inclusion on the ground? If we provide them periodic feedback in structured format then it’ll surely help them to better their teaching and learning plans.

In conclusion, if we integrate implementation of NEP 2020 with technology then adoption will increase significantly to get the desire outcome.

Implement NEP 2020 in your educational institute with LearnQoch.