The Odisha Government has decided to undertake a phased intervention of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which envisages reforms in the education system for the 21st century, from the 2025-26 academic year, said officials.

Guided by its pillars of access, equity, quality affordability, and accountability it lays special emphasis on vocational skills, education in the mother tongue, digital education, holistic development of the child, competency-based assessments, and universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy skills, they said.

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In the first phase of the implementation Department of School and Mass Education, Odisha earlier in the has announced the implementation of National Education Policy in the State and adoption of National Curriculum Frameworks with local contextualization as the State Curriculum Frameworks.

The age of enrollment for grade 1 has been revised to be 6 + years as on 1st September of the concerned academic year and opening of “Shishu Vatika” in all primary schools for pre- school education for children who have attained the age of 5 and above, as envisaged in NEP 2020, has been announced in a notification issued on Monday.

The revision in the State Curriculum Frameworks will be initiated in a phased manner from academic year 2025-26, with the National Curriculum Framework Foundational Stage (NCF FS), being adopted in the first phase, with local contextualization for the State.

The first 15 years of a child’s education will be modified phase-wise to the 5+3+3+4 structure covering ages 3-18, as outlined in NEP 2020. The academic structure envisaged under the NEP comprises of Foundational stage (5 years) spanning from ages 3-8, corresponding to 3 years of pre-school and 2 years of Grades 1 and 2, Preparatory Stage (3 years) spanning from ages 8 – 11, corresponding grades 3 to 5, Middle Stage (3 years) spanning from ages 11-14, corresponding grades 6 to 8, and Secondary Stage (4 years) spanning from ages 14-18, corresponding grades 9 -12.

Earlier the State Government had constituted a high-level Task force under the chairpersonship of Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary to suggest measures to be taken up for implementation of NEP 2020 in the state of Odisha.

A State Steering Committee was also constituted to develop the State Curriculum Frameworks, chaired by Nityanand Pradhan, Former Principal of Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal. The committee is entrusted with preparing the State Curriculum Frameworks in alignment with the National Curriculum Frameworks in the Local Contextualization.