Abstract

Nelson Mandela said –“Education is the most powerful weapon with which you can change the world.” Education is a categorical imperative for achieving full human potential, for developing an equitable and just society, and to foster national development. Universal high-quality education is the best way forward for maximizing our country's resources for the good of the individual, the society, the country, and the world. India is the land of world-renowned higher education institutions like Taxila, Nalanda, Vikramshila and Valabhi, that set golden benchmark of multidisciplinary learning and research and hosted scholars from across backgrounds and countries. Seminal knowledge has been created by the pioneering Indian scholars such as Charaka, Susruta, Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Chanakya, Panini, Patanjali, and Thiruvalluvar in diverse fields of mathematics, astronomy, metallurgy, medical science and surgery that must not only be nurtured and preserved for posterity but also researched, enhanced, and put to new uses through our education system. However centuries of colonial rule devastated the nation in all senses and one of the worst affected sectors was undoubtedly, education. On the eve of independence, India was in a dismal state with a literacy rate of 16% and the female literacy rate at an even lower 8.9%. This educated lot came from mere 26 universities spread across the subcontinent. Education was then a priority for the government. The Kothari Commission of 1964 was a giant leap forward in education sector as it created the famous 10+2+3 formula. This formed the basis for all the future modifications in Indian education system. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act moved ‘education’ from the State List to the Concurrent List furthering increasing the scope for its improvement. The final icing on the cake is undoubtedly the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act that made education a Fundamental Right. The latest and perhaps the most revolutionary step forward to bring about systemic changes in the Indian education system is the National Educational Policy (NEP-2019), the SWOT analysis of which is attempted in this paper..

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