Abstract

This article presents a comparative study of India's National Education Policies of 1968, 1986, and 2020 to analyze how Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) have been framed, depicted, and implemented over different policy regimes. Grounded in qualitative document analysis, the research explores changes in epistemological orientations, curricular integration, and institutional frameworks relating to IKS. The 1968 policy, determined by post-independence developmental agendas, recognized India's cultural heritage but did not include IKS in systemic reform. The 1986 policy offered rhetorical acknowledgment without substantive curricular or pedagogical change. However, the National Education Policy 2020 represents a paradigmatic shift by locating IKS at the center of integral education and promoting its structural incorporation through curriculum planning, teacher training, and research. Based on traditional texts and modern research, the research delineates a path from epistemic marginalization to strategic inclusion. It does, however, delineate habitual obstacles such as implementation gaps, institutional inertia, and epistemic tokenism. The article advocates for persistent institutional commitment, interdisciplinary research, and culturally situated pedagogy to help the incorporation of IKS move beyond symbolic inclusion towards actual educational decolonisation and epistemic justice.

Keywords