By Benjamin Lyngdoh
If we go by face value alone, the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 is a game changer. The intention is to take the country into a new era of trained human resources. This is in consonance with the idea that an efficient and effective human talent/resource is the key element for growth and development. In the contemporary school of thought, money and capital counts for a lot less in significance as compared to human ability. That way, it can be said that the NEP has got the environmental analysis absolutely right. As such, now the focus is on applying new systems and pedagogy right from the elementary school level flowing into higher education. In addition, the structural changes ranging from new academic bodies to govern research to the idea of autonomous colleges can be considered to be highly tenable. However, at the heart of all this is the question as to which state will be successful or will struggle in its efforts to ramp up and meet the intentions of NEP. In relation, here the focus is on Meghalaya in terms of what the policy means for its people and the challenges faced through a focus on some of the important elements of the NEP.
To start with, the focus on ‘foundational literacy’ is most appropriate. In general, people believe that ‘foundational literacy’ is literacy per se. So, what is the fuss all about? Is there a need to compartmentalise literacy into two areas? Well, the answer to this is pretty straight-forward. The foundation acts as a necessary enabler for the desire to continue into higher classes. It serves as a motivation that drives a hunger towards continued learning and higher knowledge. As such, if we can get it right early then the chances of a student staying back in school as opposed to dropping out of school becomes more tangible. Moreover, the intention to provide foundations in the student’s own mother-tongue is laudable. The crux here is also of retention. How many times have we talked about students abandoning school early just because they failed to figure out lessons in the early classes? Yes, this is not the only factor for school drop-out in Meghalaya (poverty and accessibility being the main reasons); but this is one of the important factors. Hence, foundational literacy will contribute to a certain extent in controlling school drop-out. In addition, the importance of making learning ‘enjoyable and engaging’ is the reaffirmation of the age old efforts towards the same. However, this presents a challenge because making it so calls for resources which many schools particularly the ones in the rural areas may not be able to afford. It calls for proper school premises which are attractive and fun combined with gadgets and technology and fun tools and plays. Where will the money come from for all of this?
As we move forward, the issue of providing ‘equitable and inclusive’ education for all is closely related to the above. This is because if the school drop-out rate is high (around 30% in Meghalaya) then the very effort towards inclusiveness is defeated. Similarly, if the learning process is not enjoyable and engaging at par for all then equitableness is lost. The point to be noted here is that inclusive education is closely related with and dependent on poverty. The higher the poverty level, the lower is the degree of inclusiveness in education. As of today, inclusive education in Meghalaya is a far-cry. Shillong in itself suffers; forget about the situation in rural areas. To make it worse, the covid-19 pandemic has really disrupted schooling. In the villages, there are reports that students have stopped learning altogether for want of gadgets (and know-how) for online classes. They have gone to the fields to practice agriculture and rear livestock. To this, further add the necessity of equitable education. Well, even in greater Shillong there is no equitable learning. Take for example, schools located around Don Bosco Square and the ones located at Laitkor and Mawiong areas or even around Nongthymmai and Mawlai. Where is equitable learning? In the end, the reality is a huge divide between the haves and the have-nots; the lucky and the unlucky!
In the process, as we try to comprehend the NEP in its entirety, it has thrown a number of things into perspective. These are particularly important in the context of school education. These days a class 12 pass certificate is the bare minimum qualification that any person should possess. That way it will ensure a chance for a meaningful livelihood. As such, the issues of drop-outs, inclusiveness and equitability need to be studied in tandem. This will help in the execution of the guidelines as laid down in the NEP. This is because for any policy to work, the ground situation upon which it intends to develop must be sound and workable. In other words, we cannot talk about equitable education if some schools do not have teachers/white boards/computers and so forth. As a result, even before we think of being serious with NEP we have to ensure that all the schools have adequate and appropriate infrastructure. If we fail to do this, then there will not be a level playing field as far as improving education for all is concerned.
In the end, the NEP will result in even further inequalities in education thereby leading to further inequitable distribution of income. As we consider the above; it is important to recall that we also have a Meghalaya State Education Policy (MSEP), 2018. Now, it is a matter of convergence, fusion and synergy. At the very least, the guidelines of the MSEP may be applied as a spearhead for ultimately achieving the goals of the NEP. Here, the process starts with the assessment of the ground situation and then intervention for equitable infrastructure.
Ultimately there is need to embrace technology and digital education. This covid-19 pandemic has thrown this issue into sharp focus. However, forget covid-19 for now. This is because we must not talk about technology and digital issues in education as arising out of some pandemic. The fact remains that in any case and for the future benefit of our students in the job market, being technologically savvy and trained through digital platforms is a must. The future of the job market is artificial intelligence (AI) based. At the very least, technology will be the basis for everything from learning to business to government to governance to product delivery to service quality.
One may be blunt in saying that without technological soundness a student will not have a fighting chance for employment in the future job market. Let us just look around us; this is already happening. So, are we ready to inclusively and equitably take the technological plunge? This is a point to ponder and brainstorm; else, the NEP in Meghalaya will mean nothing for the masses and at best will result in being counter-productive!
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