Preface

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) in India is a historic initiative that aims to make education inclusive, equitable, flexible, and rooted in Indian traditions. This book, “Reimagining Classrooms: Equity and Inclusion under NEP 2020”, explores the emotional and intellectual vision behind NEP 2020. Its purpose is to understand how our diverse classrooms can be made inclusive and just in accordance with this policy. This book seeks to redefine the contemporary educational model by placing social justice, diversity, and innovation at the heart of education.

The report of NEP (2020) emphasizes that education must be accessible and relevant for all students, irrespective of their social, economic, linguistic, geographical, or intellectual backgrounds. The policy speaks of providing special support for children with special needs, marginalized groups, Scheduled Castes and Tribes, girls, transgender communities, and children from rural areas. This book presents a practical analysis of these recommendations.

The content of the book is centered on three key pillars—Equity, Inclusion, and Innovation. Equity here does not mean merely the availability of resources but to provide necessary educational support to every student based on their unique starting points. Inclusion is not just about putting students together in the same classroom; it involves incorporating their experiences, abilities, and needs into the planning and process of teaching.

The content of the book covers the key topics on how to restructure the classrooms keeping in mind the recommendations of RCI and NEP 2020 to make the education more personalized, accessible, and adaptive. NEP 2020 has acknowledged digital technologies as a powerful tool in education. It discusses the implementation guidelines related to inclusive education keeping in mind the general and special educators and teacher trainees.

The book has been developed by incorporating both theoretical and practical perspectives. It includes policy documents, research papers, teacher experiences, and case studies to help readers better understand the transition from policy to classroom practice.

For educators, this book offers inspiration and practical suggestions for adopting inclusive teaching practices. For researchers, it provides an opportunity to deeply explore the interconnections between inclusive education and policy. For policymakers, it offers insights from ground-level experiences, which may help in effectively implementing policies.

For us, editing this book has not only been an academic endeavour but also a moral commitment. The inspiration behind this work has been the vision of an education system where every child, regardless of the differences they represent, can learn with respect and collaboration.

We do not claim that this book provides answers to all questions, but sincerely hope it sparks conversations, encourages reflection among educators and readers, and contributes in a small way to make education more humane, just, and inclusive.

Editors

Dr. Jyotsna A. Amin

Dr. Sujata Varma

Mr. Santosh Kumar