Several schools in Hyderabad have informed parents about the introduction of new skill learning as a result of the New Education Policy 2020 (NEP-2020) in CBSE and ICSE schools. These skills include financial literacy, technical skills, self-defense, survival skills, social etiquette, public speaking, and stress management. However, it is not known who will be teaching these skills. It is possible that the schools may outsource the teaching to external sources. The cost of these new skills is still unknown and will be communicated to parents by the end of December.
The NEP-2020 sets the groundwork for teaching 12 skill sets from Class VII to Class 10+2. These skills include information literacy, technological literacy, media literacy, financial literacy, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, leadership, productivity, social skills, and flexibility.
Parents are already struggling to meet the growing school fees and are uncertain about the upcoming academic year. Some schools have already introduced coding and computer classes as part of their curriculum, while others have included activities like newspaper reading and cooking classes. However, there is no clarity on who will teach skills like financial literacy and productivity.
S Pramod highlighted that the issue of increasing fees is a result of schools capitalizing on parents’ ambitions for their children. Additionally, schools often fail to deliver the quality education promised during admissions. Many schools operate with a strong commercial focus, leading to calls for a mechanism to regulate fees.
