Implement NEP in phased manner, not abruptly: HC to Himachal govt

In a relief to a significantly large number of children in the state, Himachal Pradesh high court has ruled that students under the age of six who have completed their pre-school education can be admitted to Class 1 for the academic session 2024-25.
The division bench comprising of chief justice Rajiv Shakdher and justice Satyen Vaidya, while disposing off multiple petitions ruled, that the state government “shall be under mandate to implement the NEP-2020 in a phased manner as suggested vide communication dated March 31, 2021 issued by the Union of India and further those students who are under the age of six years and have already completed pre-school educational curriculum will not be denied admission to Class 1 for academic session 2024-25.”
“We do not find any rational in the approach of the state government in not implementing the NEP 2020 in the state in a phased manner,” ruled the high court.
Multiple PILs were moved saying that despite having completed their pre-school curriculum, children who were below six years as of September 30, 2024, were initially denied entry into Class 1. This decision comes in the context of the state government’s 2023 directive, which set six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admissions starting from the 2024-25 academic year, with a one-time age relaxation allowed until September 30.
The high court order, read, “No doubt, the state government is within its jurisdiction to implement the NEP 2020, however, in light of what has been noticed above, we have no hesitation to say that neither the entire NEP 2020 nor any other provisions of law mandate the state government to implement the NEP 2020 tersely. Rather, there are clear directions to do it in a phased manner. Because the state government has not done so till November 24, 2023, it does not get a valid reason to do so abruptly”. The high court added, “the manner in which the policy is sought to be implemented is clearly arbitrary, irrational and inequitable”.
The high court clarified that “In any case by forcing the students like petitioners to repeat the UKG class, the purpose of NEP 2020 will not be served for the reason firstly that the curriculum for Balvatika-1, Balvatika-2 and Balvatika-3 has not yet been formulated and pressed in service and secondly, there are no trained teachers to further the cause of early childhood care and education (ECCE).”