The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 will build strong foundations for an Atmanirbhar Bharat, said Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Wednesday.

He replied to the discussion on the Demand for Grants of the Ministry of Education for the year 2021-22 in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. According to a press statement, Pokhriyal said NEP will build strong foundations for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and help India claim its status as a ‘Vishwaguru’. Pokhriyal emphasized that the NEP was formulated after holding broad-base and wider consultations with every stakeholder, including teachers, students, academicians, parents, and students among others.

The Minister said that the NEP is based on firm foundations of equity, quality, and accessibility. He spoke about features of NEP 2020, which includes imparting vocational education from class 6 onwards, progress card in place of the report card, 5 3 3 4 structure, multidisciplinary education with easy entry/exit options, and academic bank of credit. Pokhriyal also added that several countries have acknowledged the NEP as the biggest reform of the world.

Speaking on the budget allocation for education for the year 2021-22, Pokhriyal said that for the Department of School Education and literacy, the total budget allocation in 2021-22 is Rs 54873.66 crore, which is an increase of Rs 2,684.59 crore as compared to that of last year. For the Department of Higher Education, the total budget allocation in 2021-22 is Rs 38350.65 crore, which is an increase of Rs 5450.65 crore as compared to last year’s budget.