How Education Reforms Have Shaped Learning In India

The main values of secularism, socialism and democracy, which are contained in the preamble, are carried out through our education policies. The future of India rests on it. The previous years have seen a fast transformation in education and learning as a result of numerous national education policy reforms and government programmes. From a focus on industrialisation and technical skills during early liberalisation  to the inclusion of soft skills in the NEP, the nation has come a long way. Although Indian literacy rates have increased, several remain uneducated due to poor quality schooling systems. Seeing the evolution of learning and development through evaluation of policies and schemes can provide insights into shaping future agendas.

It all started with India’s first Minister of Education, Maulana Azad, who emphasised heritage and culture in contrast to the British-influenced Macaulay education scheme. He founded significant cultural and literary institutions like the Lalit Kala Academy. Major technical institutes, such as IITs, were also established to focus on technical learning.

During his tenure as the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru chose liberalisation and industrialisation. This created a demand for a workforce with technical skills, and thus the University Education Commission was established, which later gave birth to the University Grants Commission, aimed at promoting tertiary education and S. Radhakrishnan with the responsibility of heading UEC. The overall aim of the commission was to establish universities that would provide knowledge and wisdom for holistic development, including personality.

In 1952, with Lakshamanaswami Mudaliyar leading the panel, the Secondary Education Commission proposed a flexible reorganisation, having schools that were inclusive of children’s unique aptitudes and were accommodating to the children’s interests. Thus, specialised streams were introduced in higher secondary schools to prepare students for higher education and vocational roles. Simultaneously, the National Committee on Women’s Education chaired by Shrimati Durgabai Deshmukh gave much emphasis to female education in rural India.

It was in 1964 that the landmark policy, the National Policy on Education, which pushed for modernisation and integration into everyday life, came into being under Indira Gandhi’s leadership. This path continued under Rajiv Gandhi’s regime through NPE 1986, which aimed at increasing educational standards while still upholding secularism, socialism and equality values. 

The National Policy on Education (NPE), as articulated in 1968 and 1986, formed a basic platform for bridging disparities in educational opportunities via the provision of equal opportunity and scholarships, including reservations for less privileged communities. Consequently, the various initiatives that were taken include Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), which was launched in 2001 with the objective of universalising elementary education with special emphasis on disadvantaged groups, while the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) programme initiated in 2004 aimed at improving education for girls from rural areas.

Additionally, for low-income groups and minorities, there was the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) and Maulana Azad National Fellowship, respectively. The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) also targeted secondary school coverage for all while providing financial assistance to students coming from backwards communities through the Post Matriculation and Pre-Matriculation Scholarships.

The new wave of reforms consists of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which promotes equity and inclusion with a focus on filling educational gaps through initiatives like the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM), Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), among others. Also, there is the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, which encourages girl-child education and goes on to provide scholarships based on merit to deserving students from poor families. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the PM eVidya channel helped in remote learning, displaying resilience amidst crises, but concerns have never ceased, such as poor implementation strategies or a lack of infrastructure. Although these policies have come a long way in promoting quality education, there is still much to do in improving the learning environment and implementing infrastructural developments.

Zeeshaan Pathan

Guest Author The author is the Managing Director of World Development Corporation.