National Education Policy 2024: Target of 98% literacy by 2030

The new National Education Policy 2024 was formally announced by the Central Government on 15 March 2024, which presents a comprehensive framework for educational reforms in India. The main objective of this policy is to take the literacy rate to 98% by 2030, provide quality education to all children and promote technological inclusion. The policy document outlines 12 key pillars, which include early childhood education, secondary education, higher education and lifelong learning systems.

Since the previous National Education Policy 2020, implementation gaps and resource constraints were observed in many areas, clear guidelines for improvement have been added in the new policy. Policymakers analyzed data from the last five years and concluded that the disparity between educational access in rural areas and digital education in urban areas had increased. Keeping this background in mind, the policy has directed each state to make customized plans as per local needs.

Key provisions of the policy include free and compulsory pre-primary education for all children, establishment of digital classroom, and modernization of teacher training programmes. Specifically, every school is targeted to be equipped with high-speed internet, interactive boards and alternative learning platforms by 2025. Additionally, all teachers are required to complete at least 200 hours of continuing professional development training by 2026.

On the financial aspect the policy has allocated a total budget of Rs 1.5 lakh crore for the period 2024-2030, of which 60% will come from the central government, 30% from the state government and the remaining 10% will come from private collaboration and international donations. The fund has been divided into 45%, 35% and 20% for primary education, technical infrastructure and research and development respectively. Formation of a National Monitoring Board has also been proposed to ensure transparency of budget utilization.

A National Executive Committee will be formed by the end of 2024 for the implementation of the policy, consisting of education secretaries and experts from each state. This committee will have the authority to prepare quarterly progress reports and amend the policy as necessary. Also, the progress of each school will be made public through digital dashboards, making information available to parents and citizens in real time.

Education experts believe that if all the points of the policy are implemented on time, India's literacy rate can reach the top five in the world by 2030. However, challenges such as lack of basic infrastructure, lack of trained teachers and timely availability of financial resources still remain in rural areas. To overcome these barriers, state governments will need to encourage innovation and public-private partnerships at the local level.

Lastly, the National Education Policy 2024 is considered an important step to future-proof the Indian education system, and its successful implementation is expected to contribute significantly to the socio-economic progress of the country.