Introduction of 'coding' in NEP, is India ready for this?

 

The Union Cabinet on 29 July 2020 approved New Education Policy 2020- Transforming Education that aims to the overall country’s education system.

The key points of NEP 2020 are

1. Early Childhood Care and Education (ensure student entering Class 1 are school ready)

2. Equitable and Inclusive Education (support for girls, Trans genders, Divyangs)

3. Promote Multilingualism (high-quality books in mother tongue)

4. New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure (a.10+2 structure to 5+3+3+4 model). (b. Flexibility in choice of Subjects) (c. Integration of Vocational and academic streams.)

5. Assessment Reforms (Summative assessment to Regular Formative Assessment).

6. Teacher Recruitment (National Professional Standards for teacher)

7. Higher Education (Under-Graduation to be 3-4 years with multiple entry/exit with appropriate certification.)

8. Academic Bank of Credits (Students' credits will be stored digitally to help students continue education.)

9. National Research Foundation (Expand research and innovation opportunities)

10. Technology in Education (National Education Technology Forum for ideas on the use of tech.)

 

Under the new curricular and pedagogical structure, coding will be mandatory from class 6th. 

Coding stole the spotlight. This step taken by the government has received applaud from all over the country. 

 

Why coding?

Our country aims to become a place with a population of job creators than job seekers. Academic syllabus and physical activities are not sufficient to enhance the student’s logical thinking. It requires many technical subjects like calculations, reasoning problem-solving exercises that activate children’s minds to think as required and the result will be a rise in concentration too. 

Coding is one such topic that involves creativity and concentration. It could be even more enjoyable if started from childhood age because at the time students enter the professional world of coders, they get equipped with so many skills and they become pro at it.

Competition is very high and today apart from the degree, recruiters also look for hard and soft skills in the applicants to choose the best employ for their company. 

If students get an idea of what artificial intelligence is at the school level, it will be easier for them to make the right decision for their tech-career. 

That’s how our country will have a more skillful population that will definitely help in making creators of the future. 

 

However, providing exposure to coding to each student at the school level is not the piece of cake.

Teaching coding going to be the next hurdle our country will face after the complete implementation of the New Education Policy in upcoming years.

 

Why is it a challenge?

Coding is all about the technical course that requires access to computers and the internet. Whereas only 26.42% of the country’s schools have computers. So, how the rest of the students are going to learn to code? From their textbooks? Moreover, here, NEP is promoting practical over the theoretical. If one can’t perform the task, his learning will fall into the cramming category and we all know cramming is the next scandal of education.

 

Next, our government aspires to Digital India; on the other hand, there has not been much expenditure on improving the digital infrastructure for remote learning. In fact, in 2020-21, the ministry of the human resource development budget for digital e-learning was reduced to Rs 469 crore from Rs 604 crore in 2019-20.

 

How will India accomplish its desire to become a superpower without power? 

According to a survey conducted by the National University of Education Planning and Administration and the department of school education and literacy, 40% of Indian schools lack electricity. 

Out of that population, a minimal amount of children will get to learn and make their career in coding and that’s how India is going to accomplish its ambition of becoming a superpower without power and computer!

Further, the reports also state that 76.1% of the rural children are attending a primary and middle school run by the government while only 38% of the urban children are attending government schools.  

Non-governmental organizations are working for the welfare of government schools. Every year government issues crores of funds in the name of education but the picture of government school still remains the same in our head.

The problem doesn’t lie in the policy but the system. Unless each student does not get access to resources, how will the student be going to make a benefit out of this policy? Years of hard work will be in vain if one major portion of the society remains abandoned. India has long miles to go. 

 

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Gunjan Saxena- The Kargil girl.

Although the movie is in controversies after the real Gunjan Saxena exclaims that ‘a small people (are) trying to dent this hard-earned reputation with nonsensical rants’. Also, the IAF writing a letter the Censor Board objecting to its ‘undue negative’ portrayal. Several of IAF’s officers, including Gunjan’s course mate, Flight Lieutenant Sreevidya Rajan (retd), have claimed that facts are being ‘twisted’ by the filmmakers.

 

• Biopic is always brought on the screen to inspire millions of guts to encourage them to put their heart and soul to achieve what they want. Not only to run after their dreams but to dare to dream first and, love your passion from the core.
• Biopics also clears the dust from the fact that people who achieved it, the road was easy for them but the truth is obstacles are everywhere and for everyone at some point, everyone became the victim of discrimination either based on caste, class, race or gender but there is always a silver lining in the dark cloud. They never left hope and stood against all to get what they dreamt.

 

Gunjan Saxena- The Kargil girl was/is also meant to inspire us but if we just drift our eyes from the protagonist there is also a main character who is an inspiration for many in the patriarchal society without whom the Gunjan Saxena would not be what Gunjan Saxena is for us. 

Pankaj Tripathi played an incredible role as the father of Gunjan in the movie. His unbeatable acting skills brought the character alive and able to get everybody's eye to him and thus become another figure of inspiration within the movie.

His lines 

‘Whether it’s a man or a woman flying the plane, they’re both called pilots’ 

breaks the taboo of specific gender for a particular profession. Another unforgettable dialogue that I can’t getaway from my mind 

“what does your brother think? That I don’t know… how difficult the world is for women? The solution is not to shut yourself in a cage, but to break the cage and fly.”… 

is not just a line that boosts lost self-confidence of the protagonist but it also gives a new horizon for the patriarchy society that being in a patriarchal doesn’t mean to suppress another gender and feel superior but it is a sense of responsibility to stand and support another gender, make them feel that being in any kind of society doesn’t make you less than a human who has equal rights to chase their dreams.

 Anyone reading this, if you are avoiding this movie somewhere due to ongoing issues of nepotism then go give a shot to Pankaj Tripathi’s work and I assure you, you won’t be disappointed. 

Probably the lead character may not win the hearts of the audience by acting but the side character that depicts the love and responsibility of the father to his children surely makes a difference in the society.

 Share it if you like with your family and friends to spread love and encourage the real actors.

 

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Why so much aggression in people?

Is it just for one person or the system?

Let's find out: -

 

“I consider myself as Indian, just because a stupid theory has categorized me in some kind of caste doesn’t make me less than a human who deserves equal rights, facilities and to speak for my mates who doesn’t share the same caste with me. If I speak for them also doesn’t signify that they are the victims and I’m privileged. We are Indians and we all are “victims” of the caste system.

 

Caste is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction. 

Division of religion is not the end of the story, Hindus are further divided into four main categories- Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and the Shudras.

Just a theory written in Manusmriti several centuries ago still has an impact in the 21st century. 

 

The concept of caste system to spread all over the country was to 

• Preserve arts and crafts through father-son apprenticeship.
• Give strong continuity to Hindu life by the religious basis of caste
• A pattern was provided to numerous competing groups to co-exist side by side with no conflict
• Grow a firm group solidarity and a sense of responsibility within each other.

But what happened in reality?

• It acts as a barrier to social progress
• It thwarts politically unity
• It is responsible for the low status of women
• It is responsible for the low status and unjust treatment of outcasts and caste people
• It acts as a screen and justification for persistent anti-social conduct.

 

If you go through the tweets several topics have been covered, talking about NEP, Multilinguistic point which says students till 5th class can be taught in their regional languages but this point is for the minor group, what about the Private schools? 

Will they follow it? 

Or will they keep teaching students in English? 

And if yes, then this will create another kind of discrimination because one part of the students will be able to understand the foreign language.

Will the companies going to select a candidate who knows the regional language but not a foreign language, English?

Why can’t we implement all the policies in all education sectors including private schools?

 If the same pattern of languages will be followed in governmental and Private schools, each student will develop and progress equally. In today’s world English is one of the factors of a good personality.

Coming to another tweet that talks about reservations, “more population less reservation.” 

• Reservation has to change with the change in population. 
• The criteria of reservation should also change. Today not all people belonging from general are financially better off neither all belonging from SC ST or OBC are poor.

Why can’t we have a reservation based on the annual income of the family?

“One nation one talent reservation”

But expecting the government to do something to abolish caste system is next to impossible because in India caste is directly proportional to Vote bank, here every party has a playing card of caste, regional parties and also many candidates of national parties are still in parties because they have a vote bank of the particular community. Why is this so?

It is because we people believe that if someone from the community is in power they are the representative and he/she is going to do welfare for us because they understand our pain more than anyone else can but does it happen?

Maximum times, NO because since they achieve seat by maximum vote the first thing they take care of storing enough of the money to secure their life and their next 7 generations and till next voting campaign they rare to rescue.

The caste system is not only the evil of society, but gender discrimination is too, why one community called transgender have to fight for their existence,  Gender issues, this is not confined to male or female but above it, transgender still have to fight for their existence and rights. 

Why being human is not enough to have all access to basic facilities?

Why they have to fight firstly to have relationships, equal rights in education and jobs, then to adopt the child and several other basic needs?

 The problem is not the caste system, but the system is a problem. It cannot be resolve in one day or by one party. This is politics, a dirty game where everyone seeks to vote at some cost.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

• Quit your reservation if you think you are capable enough to grab the seat on your own. 
• Work for the welfare of society without the aim of fame. 
• Stop calling transgender as chakka, and some other slang you use to indicate them, stand with them in their fight. 

Show the power of integrity because everyone can’t do everything but at least one human can stand with another human and save humanity. 

If you really find content worthy, please share it with your family and friends also on your status.

 

 

 

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Finally, 2020 is going to be a remarkable year not just due to pandemic but a revolution in the history of education. “Education is only the weapon through which we can change the world” for millions of us.

After years of waiting, India has a new education policy after 3 decades. A revolutionary step taken by our reputed government is welcome wholeheartedly by every citizen of the country who was waiting for ages.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved New Education Policy 2020- Transforming Education that aims to the overall country’s education system

 

Let’s see in short what this new policy has to offer us: -

1.      Early Childhood Care and Education (ensure student entering Class 1 are school ready)

2.      Equitable and Inclusive Education (support for girls, transgenders, Divyangs)

3.      Promote Multilingualism (high-quality books in mother tongue)

4.      New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure (a.10+2 structure to 5+3+3+4 model). (b. Flexibility in choice of Subjects) (c. Integration of Vocational and academic streams.)

5.      Assessment Reforms (Summative assessment to Regular Formative Assessment).

6.      Teacher Recruitment (National Professional Standards for teacher)

7.      Higher Education (Under-Graduation to be 3-4 years with multiple entry/exit with appropriate certification.)

8.      Academic Bank of Credits (Students credits will be stored digitally to help students continue education.)

9.      National Research Foundation (Expand research and innovation opportunities)

10. Technology in Education (National Education Technology Forum for ideas on the use of tech.)

 

Moving on, let’s understand these points a little deeper: -

 

What is 5+3+3+4 model?

 

Earlier, the pattern was 10+2, the syllabus of 11th and 12th were far different from what we learned till the 10th. But from now onwards the system 10+2 is going to

·        5- (playschool, nursery, K.G, 1st, and 2nd in which students will learn their language, especially their regional language and also they will learn to read and write).

·        3- (3rd, 4th, and 5th class) students will be taught along with sports. 

·        3- (6th, 7th, and 8th class) coding will be mandatory in class 6th to inculcate logical thinking in young minds. Further, they will be introduced with other subjects like English, history, science and many more in the 6th 7th 8th class. Vocational Subjects will be added. 

Various projects related to topics will be allotted to each child to enhance

·        4- (9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th class) government says there will be no rigid difference in streams.

The burden of the 11th and 12th syllabus will get distributed on the 9th and 10th.

Students are free to select their subjects i.e., students from the science stream can add political science subjects in his academics.

Extra-curricular subjects will also be counted as the main subjects.

 From now onwards, students will not get a pass on the basis of February and March examination but monthly assessments or formative assessment will play a key role. 

Every month exams will be conducted on the basis of practical knowledge more than the theoretical therefore questions will be more objective than descriptive which clearly means no cramming of topics only who have knowledge that will score high.

So this is all about this model which also covers point number 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. 

Teacher Recruitment -Teachers will be recruited through the process

 

Higher Education: - This program is very beneficial for UG students, in case if you are not able to continue your next year or 2nd-year studies then you can quit and college will provide you the 1-year Certificate

In case you drop after 2nd year then college will provide you an Advance Diploma

After 3rd year Bachelor's Degree

4 year  Bachelor's Degree with Research.

Academic Bank of Credit: - if somehow you are unable to continue your students so by the time in whatever exams you appeared in the particular academic year the college will save it in the form of credits digitally.

National Research Foundation: - Now anyone from any stream has an innovative idea in tech, the National research foundation will fund the project, earlier only science students were only benefitted with this.

Technology in Education: - Virtual labs, e classes, and courses will be promoted. 

 

These are the pointers that have been set up by keeping in mind to promote the talent but before promoting, the aim is to inculcate the talent in each young mind. The new policy has been set up to end the evil of cramming and scoring rather embedding the notion of learning, applying, and progressing. Doesn’t look like a dream come true?

It will take years to establish this policy at every small region of India but if done honestly then the days are no longer far when the population will not be curse unemployment will be rare and every house will have an innovative mind and we could proudly say “ache din aagye”!!

 

 

 

 

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