Union Education Ministry is planning to set up “PM Shri Schools”.

PM Shri Schools

• PM Shri Schools will be the laboratory of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• They will be fully equipped to prepare students for the future.

Likely features of these schools

• It could imbibe 5+3+3+4 (to replace the 10+2 schooling system) approach of NEP covering pre-school to secondary, emphasis on ECCE, teacher training & adult education.
• There will be an integration of skill development with school education and prioritising learning in mother tongue which are steps for preparing global citizens of the 21st century.
• Since the NEP 2020 also increases the span of the Right to Education Act, it will now cover ages 3 to 18.

Explained: 5+3+3+4 Schooling System

• As per the new school education system of 5+3+3+4 outlined in NEP 2020, children will spend 5 years in the Foundational stage, 3 years in the Preparatory stage, 3 years in the Middle stage, and 4 years in the Secondary stage.
• The division of stages has been made in line with the kind of cognitive development stages that a child goes through early childhood, school years, and secondary stage.
• Here is the age-wise breakdown of the different levels of the new school education system:

(1) 5 years of Foundational stage:

For ages: 3 to 8, For classes: Anganwadi/pre-school, class 1, class 2

• The foundational stage of education as per the national education policy will comprise 3 years or preschool or anganwadi education followed by two years of primary classes (classes 1 and 2).
• This stage will focus on teaching in play-based or activity-based methods and on the development of language skills.

(2) 3 years of Preparatory stage:

For ages: 8 to 11, For classes: 3 to 5

• The focus in the preparatory stage will remain on language development and numeracy skills.
• Here, the method of teaching and learning would be play and activity-based, and also include classroom interactions and the element of discovery.

(3) 3 years of Middle stage:

For ages: 11 to 14, For classes: 6 to 8

• As per NEP 2020, this stage of school education will focus on critical learning objectives, which is a big shift from the rote learning methods used in our education system for years.
• This stage will work on experiential learning in the sciences, mathematics, arts, social sciences and humanities.

(4) 4 years of Secondary stage:

For ages: 14 to 18, For classes: 9 to 12

• This stage will cover two phases classes 9 and 10, and classes 11 and 12.
• The main change in these classes is the shift to a multidisciplinary system where students will have access to a variety of subject combinations that they can choose as per their skills and interest areas instead of being strictly divided into Arts, Science and Commerce categories.
• This stage will again push for greater critical thinking and flexibility in the thought process.

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