India’s NEP 2020 in Classrooms - Teachers Shaping Practice and System Change

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

A research report examines how culture, local education ecosystems, and beliefs about teaching and learning—framed as Invisible Pedagogical Mindsets (IPMs)—shape education reform under India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in classroom practice. It outlines project background, collaboration across Research Policy Collaboratives, and a study methodology with data summary. Key findings and policy recommendations focus on how teachers’ practice can drive system change, supported by glossary-defined education concepts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages54

Reading Time2 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Its Pedagogical Vision

Study Methodology & Data Summary

Key Findings

Policy Recommendations

Conclusion

References

Annexes

I N V I S I B L E P E D A G O G I C A L M I N D S E T S I N I N D I A How Culture, Education Ecosystems, and Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Shape Education Reform INDIA’S NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 2020 IN CLASSROOMS TEACHERS SHAPING PRACTICE AND SYSTEM CHANGE Sreehari Ravindranath | Joseph Thomas Rijo | Sudeshna Roychoudhury Apoorva Bhatnagar | Amit V Kumar | Rachel Dyl | Ghulam Omar Qargha INDIA’S NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 2020 IN CLASSROOMS TEACHERS SHAPING PRACTICE AND SYSTEM CHANGE Sreehari Ravindranath | Joseph Thomas Rijo | Sudeshna Roychoudhury Apoorva Bhatnagar | Amit V Kumar | Rachel Dyl | Ghulam Omar Qargha ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We extend our sincere gratitude to the members of the SPARKS Global Network for their invaluable support and feedback over the past two years. For their collaboration and guidance on this project, our heartfelt thanks go to our RPC members—Dr. Hazari Shirisha (Telangana), Smt. Prameetha Adoni (Karnataka), Dr. Avinav Kumar (Jharkhand), Dr. Pushkarni Panchamukhi, and Dr. Aditi Arur. We would also like to thank Ms. Suchetha Bhat, Mr. Vishal Talreja, and Mr. Sharique Mashhadi for their unwavering support throughout this journey. Our special thanks to Dr. Karen Edge for her thoughtful engagement and encouragement in multiple capacities over the course of this project. We are grateful to Dr. Jagpreet Kaur for her careful review and to our colleagues at the Center for Universal Education, Dr. Emily Morris and Dr. Rebecca Winthrop, for their roles as reviewer and editor, respectively. We also thank Dr. Rachael Graham Tin and The Other Design Studio for their contributions to editing and design. Photographs courtesy of photographers Mr. Prasanna H, Moalong Longchari and Orjia Creations, used with permission. We gratefully acknowledge their contribution to the report’s visuals. Brookings gratefully acknowledges the support provided by the LEGO Foundation. Brookings recognizes that the value it provides is in its commitment to quality, independence, and impact. Activities supported by its donors reflect this commitment. 2 INVISIBLE PEDAGOGICAL MINDSETS IN INDIA T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 11 INTRODUCTION 13 THE NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY (NEP) 2020 AND ITS PEDAGOGICAL VISION 18 STUDY METHODOLOGY & DATA SUMMARY 25 KEY FINDINGS 33 POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 38 CONCLUSION 40 REFERENCES 42 ANNEXES India’s NEP 2020 in Classrooms | Teachers Shaping Practice and System Change 3 ABOUT SPARKS The Strengthening Pedagogical Approaches for Relevant Knowledge and Skills (SPARKS) project is a collaborative, locally led research initiative with the primary goal of understanding the impact of culture, local education ecosystems, and learning theories—together the Invisible Pedagogical Mindsets (IPMs)—on education reform and classroom practice. SPARKS launched Research Policy Collaboratives (RPCs) in Egypt, India, and Mexico. Led by the Brookings SPARKS team and a local facilitating partner in each country, each RPC serves as a local hub for collaborative research on education reform and innovation. ABOUT Dream a Dream is an Indian nonprofit organization working to transform the experience of education for the 130 million children living in poverty in India. The aim is to change the purpose of education toward the idea of thriving for every child. Dream a Dream defines thriving as the ability of every young person to expand to their fullest potential, nurtured by empathetic and compassionate relationships within an equitable and inclusive education system. For the SPARKS project, Dream a Dream serves as the facilitating partner of the RPC in India, which brings together policymakers, researchers, teachers, and other education ecosystem actors to define research priorities, collect data, and analyze the findings. 4 INVISIBLE PEDAGOGICAL MINDSETS IN INDIA |
GLOSSARY
B. ED. PROGRAM
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FAQs

What are Invisible Pedagogical Mindsets (IPMs) in this report?

IPMs refer to the culture, local education ecosystems, and preferred learning theories that influence education reforms and classroom practice under NEP 2020.

What role do teachers play according to the report?

The report emphasizes teachers’ shaping of practice and their potential to drive system change within the NEP 2020 framework.

How does the SPARKS project collaborate with local partners?

SPARKS launched Research Policy Collaboratives (RPCs) in Egypt, India, and Mexico, with local facilitating partners that bring policymakers, researchers, teachers, and other education ecosystem actors together for research priorities, data collection, and analysis.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James