Major policy initiatives related to formal education in India includes National Policy on Education 1986, which was modified in 1992 and New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. All of these policies stressed on importance of education in mother tongue and need for preparing teaching/learning materials in local languages. Various 5 year plans also recognized need for empowerment of socio-economically underprivileged groups through educational development. 11th 5-year plan (2007- 2012) included one prime goal that up to 2007 every child should attain school. While this period, ‘The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009’ laid down legal underpinnings for achieving universal elementary education. NEP 2020 also laid stress for education in native language, vocational education, compulsory school education and holistic multidisciplinary education. The global education

development agenda reflected in the Goal 4 (SDG4) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by India in 2015 seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.

NEP 2020 acclaims that main aim and purpose of the education system is to develop good human beings capableofrationalthoughtandaction,possessingcompassionandempathy,courageandresilience,scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution. The Policy envisages that the curriculum and pedagogy of our institutions must develop among the students a deep sense of respect towards the Fundamental Duties and Constitutional values, bonding with one’s country, and a conscious awareness of one’s roles and responsibilities in a changing world. One of the major thrust of NEP is full equity and inclusion as the cornerstone of all educational decisions to ensure that all students are able to thrive in the education system.

According to NEP 2020, School education will start at the age of 3 years and continue up to 18 years in different stages of foundational (preschool-class 2), preparatory (class 3-5), middle (class 6-8) and secondary (class 9-12). Higher education includes Graduation, Postgraduation and Doctorate degrees with multiple entry and exit provisions and Academic Bank of Credit (ABC). Multidisciplinary Graduation may be of 3 years or Graduation with research of 4 years. Accordingly, Postgraduation may be of 2 years and 1 year. Candidate having 4 years Graduation or Postgraduation degree will be eligible for doing doctorate (Ph.D.) degree.

Clause 6.2 of NEP elaborately describes Socio-economically disadvantaged groups (SEDGs), they can be broadly categorized based on gender identities (particularly female and transgender individuals), socio-cultural identities (such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, and minorities), geographical identities (such as students from villages, small towns, and aspirational districts), disabilities (Divyang including learning disabilities), and socio-economic conditions (such as migrant communities, low income households, children in vulnerable situations, victims of or children of victims of trafficking, orphans including child beggars in urban areas, and the urban poor).

According to U-DISE 2016-17 data, about 19.6% of students belong to Scheduled Castes (SC) at the primary level, but this fraction falls to 17.3% at the higher secondary level. These enrolment drop-offs are more severe for Scheduled Tribes (ST) students (10.6% to 6.8%), and differently abled children (1.1% to 0.25%), with even greater declines for female students within each of these categories. The decline in enrolment in higher education is even steeper (clause 6.2.1). A multiplicity of factors, including lack of access to quality schools, poverty, social mores & customs, historical & geographical factors and language have had a detrimental effect on rates of enrolment and retention among the SC, ST, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), minorities and Divyang need special focus (clause 6.2.2, 6.2.3, 6.2.4 and 6.2.5). Children from tribal communities often find their school education irrelevant and foreign to their lives, both culturally and academically. While several programmatic interventions to uplift children from tribal communities are currently in place, and will continue to be pursued.