Significance Of Foundational Literacy And Numeracy At The Childhood Stage Through The Lense Of Nep 2020

Abstract

Acknowledging the significance of early education, the National Education Policy 2020 declares that “Our top priority should be to attain universal foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in primary education and beyond by 2025. The remainder of the policy will be mostly insignificant for a significant number of our students if this essential learning (reading, writing, and arithmetic at the foundational level) is not accomplished first. The Mission's vision is to establish a supportive environment that guarantees universal attainment of basic literacy and numeracy skills. Consequently, guaranteeing high-quality foundational literacy and numeracy access for all children has emerged as a critical National Mission, requiring a comprehensive five-point action plan that encompasses curriculum reform, innovative teaching methods, reconfiguring the teacher education framework, reevaluating assessment techniques, and offering administrative assistance—coupled with resource and program enhancement, technological solutions, and the engagement of diverse stakeholders, which must be executed with prompt urgency. Moreover, to accomplish this significant objective, a platform is needed where people from various sectors of society, including stakeholders, parents, educators, school leaders, and policymakers, can share their viewpoints and experiences to develop more thorough and extensive strategies for attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy.