Students to study in 2022 under new curriculum as envisaged by NEP: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that ‘marksheet-driven education’ has been dominating the country instead of ‘learning-driven education’ and that the new National Education Policy is aiming at a serious course correction.

Addressing the education ministry’s conclave on “School Education in 21st Century”, Modi likened the ‘marksheet’ to a ‘mental pressure sheet’ and said that the main objective of the NEP 2020 was to remove this stress from education and bring in a holistic report card that will be a detailed sheet of unique potential, aptitude, attitude, talent, skills, efficiency, competency and possibilities of students.

He said that examinations should not put unnecessary pressure on students and that a student’s evaluation should not be based on a single exam.


Instead, the evaluation should consider various aspects of student development like self-assessment and peer-to-peer assessment.

Touching upon the language debate, the Prime Minister reiterated the need for early schooling with the mother tongue as medium of instruction and pointed out that this was also the norm in countries highly regarded for their schooling systems.

Modi said that whatever language a child can learn easily, that should be the language of learning and, hence, the focus in the NEP on the mother tongue until Grade Five.

He also underlined the need for greater focus on foundational literacy and numeracy, saying it must be ensured that every child who crosses Grade Three can easily read 30 to 35 words in a minute.

The Prime Minister also spent considerable time focusing on the need to engage students in a playful and innovative manner and to bring practical knowledge into the education system so that studies are connected to the real world, to our lives and to the surrounding environment.

Modi called upon teachers to help fulfil the mission laid out in the NEP and sought their cooperation as well as that of all other stakeholders -- from administrators to voluntary organizations and parents, for the same.