NEP 2020 is the Key to Liberating Youth from Colonial ‘Macaulay Mentality’

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 stands as a beacon of transformative reform, entering its sixth year of implementation. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, during a visit to Nagpur on January 3, emphatically declared that the NEP is the primary instrument to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of liberating the nation’s youth from the colonial-era “Macaulay mentality.

“The Prime Minister has repeatedly urged the country to shed the Macaulay mindset. The NEP 2020 will be the medium to bring the new generation out of this mentality,” Pradhan stated, highlighting the policy’s emphasis on mother-tongue education, competency-based learning, and skill development.

He highlighted India’s youthful demographic dividend, asserting that the Education Ministry’s mandate is to mould job creators rather than mere job seekers.

The term “Macaulay mentality” traces back to Thomas Babington Macaulay’s 1835 Minute on Indian Education, which sought to create a class of Indians “Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste.”

Prime Minister Modi, in his addresses, has called for a decisive break from this “mindset of slavery,” aligning the NEP with a broader cultural and intellectual renaissance.

Approved on July 29, 2020, the NEP replaces the 34-year-old 1986 policy and is built on five pillars: Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability. It aims to universalise education, boost public investment to 6% of GDP, and integrate Indian knowledge systems while fostering 21st-century skills.

Revolutionising School Education into 5+3+3+4 Structure

At the heart of NEP’s school reforms is the shift from the rigid 10+2 system to a flexible 5+3+3+4 model, covering ages 3-18:

• Foundational Stage (5 years): Ages 3-8, including 3 years of pre-school/Anganwadi and Grades 1-2. Focus on play-based and activity-based learning.
• Preparatory Stage (3 years): Ages 8-11 (Grades 3-5), introducing light textbooks and experiential learning.
• Middle Stage (3 years): Ages 11-14 (Grades 6-8), with subject-oriented pedagogy and critical thinking.
• Secondary Stage (4 years): Ages 14-18 (Grades 9-12), offering multidisciplinary choices and vocational exposure.

This restructuring brings early childhood education (ages 3-6) under the formal system for the first time, recognising it as crucial for cognitive development.

A cornerstone feature is multilingualism, with instruction in the mother tongue or local language at least until Grade 5, preferably beyond.

This counters the Macaulay legacy by promoting cultural pride and better comprehension. The three-language formula is retained, but flexibly—no imposition of languages. Sanskrit and other classical languages are encouraged, alongside foreign languages.

To combat rote learning, the curriculum shifts to holistic, competency-based education. No hard separations between arts, sciences, curricular, and extracurricular activities.

Vocational education starts from Grade 6, with internships, aiming for 50% of learners to gain vocational skills by 2025.

Assessment reforms include low-stakes board exams, modular options, and a holistic progress card. The National Assessment Centre, PARAKH, standardises evaluations.

Equity measures target Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), with a Gender Inclusion Fund and special provisions for disabled children.

Flexibility and Global Ambition in Higher Education

In higher education, NEP promotes multidisciplinary institutions, phasing out single-stream colleges. Undergraduate programs offer multiple entry/exit options: certificate after Year 1, diploma after Year 2, degree after 3-4 years.

The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) enables credit transfer and flexibility.A single regulator, the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), oversees standards. The National Research Foundation (NRF) boosts research funding. Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) targets 50% by 2035, with internationalisation—foreign universities can now set up campuses.

Progress and Milestones in 2026

Five years on, NEP has seen substantial strides. Gross enrolments have risen, with multilingual textbooks rolled out and teacher training intensified under NISHTHA. Initiatives like NIPUN Bharat target foundational literacy by Grade 3. PM SHRI schools exemplify holistic implementation.

Digital platforms—DIKSHA, SWAYAM—have expanded access. Vocational enrolments are growing, though challenges persist in infrastructure and uniform state adoption.

Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks reinforce NEP as more than reform: a cultural revival. By rooting education in Indian ethos while embracing global skills, it empowers youth to innovate, entrepreneur, and lead a self-reliant India.

As implementation accelerates in 2026—with revised curricula, expanded vocational pathways, and greater multilingual resources—NEP 2020 promises to redefine education, freeing generations from colonial shadows and equipping them for a Viksit Bharat.

Naorem Mohen

Naorem Mohen is the Editor of Signpost News. Explore his views and opinion on X: @laimacha.