NEP 2020: Milestones Achieved, Road Ahead
The Indian education system, for the longest period, was a massive apparatus built for scale and standardisation, yet desperately crying out for transformation, until 2020 when the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) arrived. It was a strategic blueprint to convert India’s demographic dividend into a global knowledge superpower. The NEP story is not just one of policy, but of progress in motion, a narrative of promise, perseverance, and potential. As we mark the initial years of its implementation, the critical question is no longer about the vision, but about its voyage: what decisive milestones have been established, and what persistent gaps must still be navigated to ensure that this comprehensive reform reaches every classroom and every child, and positively shapes the future of education in India.
Under NIPUN Bharat, all states and UTs have prepared their Foundational Literacy and Numeracy mission plans, and more teachers have received training on competency-based early-grade instruction. The NCERT’s Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Index indicates significant improvements in student learning across Grade 3 in multiple states. The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (2023) has laid the foundation for a holistic learning framework, emphasising experiential learning, multilingual education, and critical thinking, re-drafting explicitly mapped learning outcomes to grade-level expectations, supporting the NEP’s competency focus. Schools under the PM SHRI initiative have begun piloting these frameworks, serving as model institutions for others to emulate, showcasing best practices in pedagogy, digital learning, and environmental stewardship.
PARAKH was established (within NCERT) to standardise assessment practices; DIKSHA and other digital platforms aim to scale teacher training and content distribution, hosting e-content modules in 36 Indian languages and reaching learners nationwide. Through NISHTHA, a large number of teachers have been trained on inclusive, activity-based pedagogy. UDISE+ reporting has been restructured to align with NEP recommendations, and Samagra Siksha and other centrally sponsored schemes have been retooled to support NEP priorities. Gender inclusion is being addressed through Beti Bachao Beti Padhao integration and the establishment of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs). Vidya Samiksha Kendras (VSKs) ensure real-time data monitoring, using dashboards to track attendance, performance, and learning outcomes, proving transformative in education governance. Several states and central institutions have piloted Vidya Pravesh, vocational modules, and remedial programmes; central reports list phased investments and pilot schools under the new educational policy implementation.
Furthermore, the emphasis on learning in the mother tongue or local language up to Grade 5 has been adopted by pioneer states like Karnataka and Maharashtra, which introduced bilingual teaching methods to enhance conceptual understanding. Community and Panchayat Engagement has been promising as Local governance structures now actively track school performance and dropout rates, with campaigns such as School Chalo Abhiyan ensuring last-mile enrolment. These initiatives have received global recognition as well, with the World Bank’s 2024 Education Sector Review highlighting India’s FLN-focused reforms as “among the largest and most ambitious in the developing world.”
Despite the commendable strides under NEP 2020, its promise remains uneven across India’s diverse education landscape. The PARAKH PRS 2024 findings underscore the need for renewed focus on early-grade learning, as 36% of Class III children lack grade-level proficiency in Language and 40% in Mathematics. Strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy must therefore become an operational priority through targeted interventions such as NIPUN Bharat and enhanced teacher mentoring.
Teacher availability and quality require urgent attention. As per UDISE+ 2024–25, around 1.04 lakh schools operate with a single teacher, affecting nearly 33.7 lakh students. Moreover, a mismatch persists between student and teacher distribution,while 48.7% of students are in primary grades, only 24% of teachers serve there. This imbalance calls for strategic teacher deployment, incentives for rural postings, and accelerated recruitment to fill over 8.4 lakh existing vacancies across elementary and secondary levels.
Given that 82% of schools are located in rural areas but only 69% of teachers work there, localised teacher training and resource support must be strengthened to ensure equity. Tackling teacher absenteeism, reported by UNICEF at 23.6%, will require robust school leadership, monitoring, and community participation to enhance accountability and motivation.
The uneven pace of policy adoption across states, particularly in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal, highlights the need for greater Centre–State coordination, context-sensitive curriculum adaptation, and dialogue to uphold cooperative federalism. Many states still rely on traditional pedagogical models; therefore, continuous professional development and capacity-building for educators remain essential to translate NEP’s vision into classroom practice.
While platforms like DIKSHA have expanded digital outreach, digital inequities continue to hinder the last-mile effectiveness of e-learning. Ensuring reliable internet access, device availability, and contextual digital content in local languages should be prioritised to make digital education a genuine equaliser rather than an amplifier of inequality.
The implementation architecture of NEP also demands strengthening. Streamlining administrative processes, reducing bureaucratic delays, and empowering district-level officers with autonomy and data-driven decision-making tools will help move from symbolic reporting to strategic, outcome-based monitoring.
Fulfilling the NEP’s goal of raising public investment in education to 6% of GDP is non-negotiable here for addressing resource and infrastructure deficits. Strengthening teacher capacity necessitates moving beyond one-off training to a system of continuous, on-site mentoring through well-trained BRCs/CRCs and DIETs, using school clusters as peer-learning hubs. Empowering teachers at the local level to adapt the NCF-SE to their local context, promoting genuine experiential and multilingual learning, must be a top priority.
UDISE+ 2024–25 shows that roughly one in three schools still lack basic digital infrastructure, consequently widening urban–rural and inter-state inequities. Thus,expansion of the PM eVidya and Digital Infrastructure for School Education (DISE) initiatives must factor in the consideration that technology must be leveraged to boost access and not widen inequity. Utilising radio, community TVs, and offline low-bandwidth solutions in areas with poor internet connectivity have emerged as plausible options. Targeted measures, like the Gender Inclusion Fund (GIF), must be amplified to directly address socioeconomic and linguistic barriers.
Greater inter-departmental convergence, real-time data feedback, coupled with decentralised decision-making, can make implementation more responsive and contextually relevant. Cross-sectoral partnerships with NGOs, academia, and communities can amplify impact. Community participation and advocacy remain key to building demand-driven accountability. NEP 2020 must also acknowledge regional and institutional diversity, as the focus must remain on contextualised, bottom-up innovation rather than one-size-fits-all mandates.
The NEP 2020 has ignited a systemic awakening in Indian education, placing the child, not the system, at the centre of learning. As India aspires toward Viksit Bharat 2047, NEP 2020 remains the lodestar guiding that journey, one that envisions schools not as factories of examination, but as gardens of possibility. The road ahead requires not just policy but patience, persistence, and partnerships; it demands unwavering political will, continuous financial commitment, and the collective synergy of educators, administrators, and communities.
By addressing these critical gaps, India can ensure that the promise of NEP 2020 is not just a vision on paper, but a vibrant, equitable reality that truly empowers every citizen to thrive in the global era. As India’s educational odyssey unfolds, let the lessons of progress ignite an unwavering spirit to leave no child behind.
