National Education Policy (NEP 2020) Explained: Key Changes from School to College

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is the third national education policy since independence, after those of 1968 and 1986 (updated in 1992). It was drafted by a committee led by former ISRO chairman K. Kasturirangan and approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 July 2020. Many people search for a National Education Policy 2024 or 2025, but there is no new policy. What changes each year is how far NEP 2020 has been put into practice. This explainer covers the main reforms and their status.

NEP 2020 at a glance

Area	Main change
School structure	5+3+3+4 in place of 10+2
Language	Mother tongue or local language as medium of instruction where possible, at least up to Class 5
Board exams	Test core understanding, with the option of taking them twice a year
Undergraduate degree	Four years, with exit certificates after one, two and three years
Credits	Academic Bank of Credits so students can move between institutions
Regulation	A single higher education regulator in place of UGC, AICTE and NCTE
Spending goal	Public spending on education of 6 percent of GDP
Enrolment goal	50 percent gross enrolment ratio in higher education by 2035

The 5+3+3+4 school structure

• Foundational stage (5 years): three years of pre-school or Anganwadi plus Classes 1 and 2, for ages 3 to 8. Learning through play and activity.
• Preparatory stage (3 years): Classes 3 to 5, ages 8 to 11. Reading, writing, numbers and discovery.
• Middle stage (3 years): Classes 6 to 8, ages 11 to 14. Subject teachers, experiential learning and vocational exposure.
• Secondary stage (4 years): Classes 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18. Flexible choice of subjects with no hard separation between arts, commerce and science.

The change brings children aged 3 to 6 into the formal system for the first time. The National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage was released in 2022 and the one for school education in 2023, and NCERT has been issuing new textbooks class by class since then.

Foundational literacy and numeracy

NEP says every child should be able to read and do basic arithmetic by Class 3. The NIPUN Bharat mission, launched in July 2021, puts this into practice with targets for each grade and regular learning assessments.

Languages

The policy recommends teaching in the home language, mother tongue or regional language wherever possible, at least up to Class 5 and preferably Class 8. It keeps the three-language formula but says no language will be imposed on any state, and at least two of the three languages should be native to India. This part has been politically sensitive, especially in Tamil Nadu, which follows a two-language policy.

Board exams and assessment

Board exams are meant to test concepts rather than memorisation, and students should have the chance to take them twice in a year. CBSE introduced two board examinations for Class 10 from 2026, with the second sitting optional for students who want to improve their scores. Report cards are to become holistic, with self-assessment and peer assessment. PARAKH, a national assessment centre under NCERT, sets standards for assessment across boards.

Vocational education and coding

Students are to get exposure to vocational skills from Class 6, including a 10-day bagless period with local craftspeople or businesses. Coding and computational thinking are to be introduced in the middle stage.

Changes in higher education

• Four-year undergraduate programme: a certificate after one year, a diploma after two, a degree after three, and a degree with honours or research after four. Delhi University and many central universities adopted it from 2022.
• Academic Bank of Credits: a digital store of credits earned, linked to the APAAR ID, so students can pause and resume studies or move between institutions.
• Common entrance: the National Testing Agency conducts CUET-UG for admission to central universities since 2022.
• Multidisciplinary institutions: standalone colleges are to become part of larger multidisciplinary universities or clusters by 2040.
• MPhil discontinued: the MPhil degree has been phased out.
• Foreign campuses: top foreign universities can open campuses in India, and several have received approval under UGC regulations of 2023.

A single regulator

NEP proposes a Higher Education Commission of India to replace separate regulators like UGC, AICTE and NCTE. The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 was introduced to create this body. Track its progress on our Bill Tracker.

Teacher education

By 2030, the minimum qualification for school teachers is to be a four-year integrated B.Ed. The Integrated Teacher Education Programme was launched in 2023. Teacher eligibility tests are to cover all stages of school.

Schemes linked to NEP

• PM SHRI Schools: a scheme to upgrade more than 14,500 existing schools into model schools that showcase NEP.
• Samagra Shiksha: the main centrally sponsored scheme for school education, aligned with NEP.
• NIPUN Bharat: foundational literacy and numeracy.
• PM eVIDYA and DIKSHA: digital learning platforms.

Criticism and challenges

• Education is on the Concurrent List, and some states have declined to adopt parts of the policy or the PM SHRI scheme, leading to disputes over central funding.
• The 6 percent of GDP spending target has not been met. Combined public spending on education has stayed around 4 to 4.6 percent of GDP.
• Teaching in the mother tongue is hard in cities with many languages and where parents prefer English-medium schools.
• Multiple exits from degree courses may lead to more dropouts if not supported well.

Sources

• National Education Policy 2020, Ministry of Education (education.gov.in)
• National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2023, NCERT
• CBSE circulars on two board examinations for Class 10
• UGC regulations and notifications on the four-year undergraduate programme and Academic Bank of Credits

Last updated: 23 September 2026.