New Education Policy and Youth Empowerment

India is a country with a large young population. In India, there were 27.3 % of persons between the ages of 15 to 29 years in the year 2021 . Large numbers of youth are a valuable resource for a country but along with numbers, their quality is equally important. The health, education, and training of the population influence its quality.

To use this young resource for nation building and growth, their economic and social empowerment is essential. Unless the youth are productively used in some income generation process their economic empowerment would be difficult. Along with economic empowerment their social and cultural empowerment are also important. Numerous social problems exist in our country, therefore raising young people’s awareness of these problems and identifying solutions to them can aid in social reforms and economic development.

The New Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is a landmark step in this direction. The features of NEP 2020 address these issues. NEP would contribute to economic empowerment by making changes in the structure and process of obtaining higher education. Introduction of the four-year multidisciplinary undergraduate degree, with multiple exit options and opportunities for skill development would give flexibility to young people for obtaining a degree besides broadening the horizon of education. Use of technology in higher education, development of a credit-based system for degree programs, would enable students to pursue multiple degrees or programs simultaneously. The features of NEP 2020 such as interdisciplinary education, flexible curriculum and credit transfer, academic bank of credit, vocational development and skill education would certainly enhance the employment potential of the youth. Further it will provide ample scope to the youth for entrepreneurial development which is the need of the hour for our country.

The inclusion and equity goals of NEP 2020 will promote the social and cultural growth of youth. The NEP 2020 places specific emphasis on kids with special needs, girls’ education, education among low-income households, and pupils from lower socioeconomic strata. Additionally, it aims to give kids from all socioeconomic levels equitable chances.

These are just a handful of the significant initiatives; the NEP 2020 contains many more. Making our higher education system transparent, vibrant, inclusive, affordable, and accessible to all is a step in the right direction and would definitely lead to the empowerment of our youth.