An Overview: What’s New in National Education Policy 2024 (NEP 2024)?

Discover the key updates and transformative features introduced in the National Education Policy 2024 (NEP), building on the foundation of NEP 2020.

Since its release, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has been enhancing the education landscape in India, laying down significant policies and principles that aim to enhance the entire education ecosystem. As the NEP 2020 continues to evolve to NEP 2024, it provides clear guidelines for policymakers, teachers, schools, institutions, and organizations to meet the diverse needs of students. This progressive framework has initiated substantial changes in academic learning, skill development, holistic learning, and digital literacy addressing the multifaceted nature of student growth.

Foundation principles of NEP 2020 suggest that a good education institution is one that:

Emphasizes the importance of creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all learners, where they feel valued and cared for. Therefore, the policy encourages a wide range of learning experiences and ensures that good physical infrastructure and appropriate resources are accessible to every student. This commitment to educational excellence aims to streamlining subject selection, enabling regionalized e-content, bridging learning gaps, enhancing conceptual understanding, achieving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, promoting holistic development, ultimately equipping students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a 21st century.

It is essential to stay informed about the changes in the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) to continue fulfilling its objectives and drive meaningful impact as per the goals of the Ministry of Education. 

In early 2023, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 released significant updates, referred to as NEP 2023 in common searches. One biggest change you might know was the shift from the 10+2 framework to a 5+3+3+4 structure, aiming to better align traditional education systems with the evolving needs of students. Further, NEP 2023 emphasized on promoting skill-based education, good FLN education, holistic learning, equal opportunities for diverse learners and more. These updates were clearly explained to provide clarity for everyone working in the education ecosystem to improve learning experiences of students at every stage. 

The National Education Policy 2024 introduces similar updates. These yearly updates ensures that NEP remains specific and responsive to current educational challenges and opportunities.

National Education Policy 2024 (NEP 2024) envisions, 

“Positioning India as international education hub and a global knowledge superpower”

Shift in Education Structure from 10+2 to 5+3+3+4 : NEP 2024’s Major Change

One of the most significant changes introduced in the NEP 2024, following its mention in NEP 2023, is the shift from the traditional 10+2 structure to a more developmentally aligned 5+3+3+4 system. This new approach is designed to be more age-appropriate, catering to the specific learning needs of students at different stages of their development. The 5+3+3+4 school education structure corresponds to the following age groups: 3-8 years (foundational stage), 8-11 years (preparatory stage), 11-14 years (middle stage), and 14-18 years (secondary stage). To learn more about this in detail, click here. 

By adopting this framework in schools and social sector EdTech programs, you can ensure holistic development by incorporating a broad-based curriculum that emphasizes conceptual learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Additionally, this approach will allow you to promote multidisciplinary learning, enabling your students to explore subjects across various streams and creating a flexible, open learning environment.

Let’s take a closer look at the key features highlighted in National Education Policy 2024 (NEP 2024)

Renaming of Ministry:

The ‘Human Resource Development Ministry’ has now been renamed the ‘Ministry of Education’

Provision for class VI to VIII students to intern with local vocational experts: 

The National Education Policy 2024 places a strong emphasis on integrating vocational training and internship from an early age, offering a significant opportunity to blend skills-based learning with the mainstream school curriculum. This holistic approach ensures that students develop practical, job-ready skills alongside their formal education, making their learning more aligned with real-world market needs. By equipping students with vocational skills, the policy not only enhances their employability but also fosters entrepreneurship and self-employment, contributing to the growth of human capital and driving the economic progress of the country.

Regionalized e-content

Children mostly communicate in their local languages with their families and community. Teaching them in their native or mother tongue helps them grasp concepts and respond more quickly. Recognizing this, NEP 2020 to National Education Policy 2024 has emphasized the development of teaching-learning e-content in all regional languages across States. It’s important to choose e-content providers who don’t rely on quick voice overs or basic translations. Instead, look for curriculum-aligned content with a neutral accent that feels natural and familiar to your students.

NEP 2024 working to break down stream barriers: Freedom to choose any subject

The National Education Policy 2024 seeks to eliminate the traditional divisions between Arts, Science, and Commerce streams. This shift allows students to freely choose subjects across disciplines, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to education. By encouraging a more holistic learning experience, students can develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In this case, if your student is passionate about both economics and history can pursue both, creating a more enriching and personalized educational journey tailored to their interests. This flexibility makes it crucial for your school and education programs to provide a solution where students have the freedom to switch between subjects and learn without limitations.

Empowering Students by teaching them Coding from Class VI

The National Education Policy recognizes the vital role that mathematics and mathematical thinking will play in shaping India’s future, particularly in fields such as artificial intelligence, data science and machine learning. To prepare students for these emerging professions, there will be a greater emphasis on mathematics and computational thinking throughout their schooling. This initiative begins at the foundational stage, incorporating innovative methods like puzzles and games to make mathematical concepts more enjoyable and engaging. Additionally, coding activities will be introduced for students aged 11 to 14 years in the Middle Stage, following the updated education structure outlined in the National Education Policy 2024 (NEP 2024).

Technology in Education: All schools to be digitally equipped

On the fifth day of the “Shiksha Saptah,” celebrating the fourth anniversary of NEP 2020, a special focus was placed on “Technology in Education Divas.” The policy acknowledges the impact of digital technology in ensuring equity, accessibility, and quality in education. As per NEP, technological interventions aim to enhance teaching, learning, and evaluation processes while supporting teacher preparation and professional development.

This is evident from the fourth anniversary of NEP 2020 that is NEP 2024 which highlights significant data from government portals and e-learning channels, showcasing the impact of technology in education such as Total Learning sessions on DIKSHA: 53+ crores, over 6,500 energized textbooks are available in 77 Indian languages, accessed daily by lakhs of learners. and so much more. By showcasing these benefits and impactful statistics, NEP 2024 envisions the integration of technology in education to address diverse learning needs and cultivate essential 21st-century skills.
iDream Education’s approach to offer interventions such as enabling a Digital class (learn more about Smart Class cost and benefits of Smart Classroom) with NCERT content, Learning tablets, provision of Digital boards with its K 12 LMS underscores the recommendations of the New Education Policy 2020. Enabling lakhs of existing Smart boards in Schools with quality Digital content will go a long way in achieving NEP goals.
Extensive research supports the integration of ICT in teaching and learning processes. It highlights its positive impact on student engagement, achievement, and overall learning outcomes. Let us have a look at one of them in the below section.

Development of virtual labs: A NEP 2024 Step Towards achieving SDG4

As we celebrated the fourth anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the policy emphasized on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). Therefore, as per National Education Policy 2024 a significant initiative in this direction is the creation of virtual labs, accessible via the DIKSHA platform, which currently hosts over 280 operational labs. These virtual labs offer students equal access to practical, hands-on learning experiences, enabling them to conduct experiments anytime and anywhere. Beyond merely performing experiments, it is important for us to simulate real-world scenarios, students can perform experiments and analyze various outcomes based on different variables. This makes it crucial for schools and social sector/NGO educational programs to prioritize the integration of simulation and activity-based video content so that students get the benefit of meaningful hands-on learning opportunities that prepare them for the future.

Enabling NEP 2024 Requires A Collective Push Towards a Global Knowledge Superpower

The National Education Policy 2024 builds on the comprehensive reforms of NEP 2020. This marks a steady progress in making the Indian education system more inclusive, flexible, and learner-centric. Each year brings us closer to its vision, but realizing its full potential will require the combined efforts of the government, educational institutions, teachers, students, the social sector, and all other stakeholders. Together, we must push forward to achieve the shared goal of transforming India into a vibrant knowledge society and a global knowledge superpower.

ASER 2024 also recommended increased allocation of funds to education, moving towards 6%, as outlined in the New Education Policy 2020 prioritising funding for school infrastructure, teacher training, and provision of the necessary amenities for schools.

Update – February 2025: Union Budget 2025-26 and Key Developments in Education: Roadmap to NEP 2025

The Union Budget 2025-26 is set to bring transformative changes to India’s education landscape with targeted measures for both school education and upskilling. Under the overarching theme of “Sabka Vikas,” the budget underscores investment in people, the economy, and innovation as key pillars in realizing the vision of “Viksit Bharat.” To bridge the skill gap and ensure accessible, high-quality education, the Ministry of Education has been allocated ₹1,28,650 crore, reflecting a 6.22% increase from the previous year. Notably, ₹78,572 crore (61.07%) has been directed toward the Department of School Education and Literacy, marking the highest-ever budget for school education.

In parallel, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 has highlighted a substantial improvement in foundational learning outcomes. For the first time in two decades, government school students in Std III have demonstrated significant progress in reading and arithmetic skills, signaling the positive impact of interventions under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Another major policy shift is the dismissal of the No Detention Policy. While originally designed to ease academic pressure, it inadvertently contributed to learning gaps, impacting student preparedness and engagement. This move signals a transition toward accountability-driven solutions that emphasize improving learning outcomes rather than just identifying challenges.

These recent changes are expected to influence the direction of NEP 2024 by the time NEP 2025 is introduced

With NEP now positioned as a central pillar of national development, NEP 2025 is expected to build on these advancements to drive inclusive, data-driven, and future-ready education initiatives. Key expectations from NEP 2025 include:

• Integration of Personalized and Adaptive Learning to help students cover historical learning gaps
• Ensuring availability of Region-Specific Content for contextualized and inclusive learning
• Focus on enabling Structured Learning Content and Assessment for Early Childhood Education (ECE) to strengthen foundational skills
• Comprehensive Experiential Teacher Training Programs for effective adoption of digital and 21st-century teaching methods. An Edtech enabled Early Childhood Education program at scale for teaching and learning at Angawadi centres could bring significant impact at scale (Learn more about NIPUN BHARAT Mission)
• Community-Based Learning Initiatives to engage parents and local stakeholders in education
• State-of-the-Art School and Classroom Infrastructure to ensure equitable learning environments
• Project-Level Monitoring & Tech-Enabled Assessments to track progress and enhance learning outcomes
• NISHTHA and NIPUN BHARAT FLN are going to have a crucial role to play in successful implementation of NEP in 2025 and in the long term to realize its vision and goals

With the NEP 2025 update nearing release, we believe these focus areas will be instrumental in scaling impactful education reforms, fostering digital learning, and creating a future-ready workforce.

We would be happy to plan and implement our e-learning solutions aligned with the principles and features of National Education Policy in your schools. Share your details here to help us connect with you. You can also call us at +91 7678265039 or write to us at [email protected]

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