The Central government has highlighted the progress made under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, stating that the policy has played a key role in expanding skill-based education, digital learning and access to quality educational resources for students across the country.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, outlined the initiatives taken under NEP 2020 to make learning more practical, technology-driven and aligned with industry needs. He said the policy is also helping reduce educational disparities between urban and rural regions by improving access to learning opportunities.
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Skill-Based Learning Gets a Major Push Under NEP 2020
The Centre said vocational exposure has been introduced early in school education to prepare students with practical skills. Learners in Classes 6 to 8 now benefit from pre-vocational education, including 10 bagless days, experiential learning activities and NCERT’s Kaushal Bodh activity-based textbooks.
At the secondary and senior secondary stages, students have the option to pursue skill-based subjects linked to the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), allowing them to build career-oriented competencies alongside regular academics.
The government added that higher education institutions are broadening opportunities through Community Colleges, Bachelor of Vocation (B.Voc.) programmes and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Centres for Knowledge Acquisition and Upgradation of Skilled Human Abilities and Livelihood.
It further noted that the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP), 2025, launched by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), integrates classroom learning with structured apprenticeships, industry engagement and practical workplace training under the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS).
The ministry also said universities and colleges are introducing programmes in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, robotics, quantum technology, semiconductors and sustainable energy to keep pace with evolving industry demands.
PM eVidya and DIKSHA Expand Digital Learning Opportunities
The government identified digital education as one of the core pillars of NEP 2020 implementation. According to the ministry, initiatives such as PM eVidya and DIKSHA have significantly improved access to learning resources for both students and teachers.
PM eVidya, launched in 2020, provides educational content through television, radio and online platforms, ensuring that students can continue learning even in areas with limited internet access.
DIKSHA has emerged as India’s central digital platform for school education, offering lakhs of curriculum-linked resources in multiple Indian languages while supporting both online and offline learning.
The ministry said DIKSHA has so far recorded over 579 crore learning sessions from more than 2.29 crore users. The platform also provides access to hundreds of virtual laboratories, enabling students to conduct simulated science experiments and strengthen conceptual understanding.
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Government Focuses on Bridging the Rural-Urban Education Divide
To improve digital infrastructure in schools, the Centre referred to the BharatNet initiative announced in the Union Budget 2025, under which broadband connectivity will be extended to government secondary schools in rural areas in a phased manner.
The government said schools are also being equipped with ICT laboratories and smart classrooms under the Samagra Shiksha programme to enhance technology-enabled learning.
For higher education, students continue to receive free access to online courses and digital study material through platforms such as SWAYAM, SWAYAM Prabha, e-PG Pathshala and the UGC e-resource portal.
The ministry added that recent Union Budgets have also announced measures to improve educational access, including support for girls’ hostels in STEM institutions and the development of digital books in Indian languages under the Bhartiya Bhasha Pustak Yojana (BBPY), reinforcing the government’s efforts to make education more inclusive, technology-enabled and future-ready.
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