Will NEP 2020 Boost Logical Thinking

The new National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is a policy that aims to positively reform the educational system of India which was long overdue. Now that it’s finally here, let’s look at some of the new changes or highlights of the NEP 2020: 1. The new structure aims at encouraging experiential learning. The focus would be on critical learning objectives and not on rote learning. 2. Curriculum content will be reduced in each subject to its core essentials – key concepts, ideas, applications and problem-solving. Emphasis on critical thinking and more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning. In all stages, experiential learning will be adopted, including hands-on learning. 3. The new education policy lays particular emphasis on the development of the creative potential of each child. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society. 4. The NEP 2020 introduces subjects such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Design Thinking. 5. An emphasis on maths and computational thinking for AI, machine learning (ML), and data science, which will start in the foundational stage (starting with age 6). These are executed through innovative methods, which include regular use of puzzles and games that make mathematical thinking more enjoyable and engaging. 6. Activities involving coding will be introduced in the Middle Stage (starting with age 11). So based on these points, we can see that the new education policy gives importance to a multidisciplinary approach to studying and conceptual understanding, fostering skills such as creativity and critical thinking and learning by doing- all of these also form the heart of STEM education.