In India, educational success has been defined largely through curriculum coverage, examination performance, procedural compliance and the efficient administration of a large and complex education system. Teachers have been socialised into structures that reward completion, standardisation and measurable outcomes.
A reform, called the New Education Policy 2020, now asks the same system to additionally nurture creativity, agency, critical thinking, collaboration, social-emotional development and holistic learning. While these ambitions are widely welcomed, they often sit alongside older structures that continue to shape incentives, accountability mechanisms, teacher preparation and daily classroom realities.
Teachers frequently navigate the tension between their beliefs about what matters for young people and the systems that ultimately reward them for their work. Policies may encourage student-centred learning, while assessment systems continue to prioritise narrow measures of academic performance. Professional development may advocate for innovative pedagogies, while offering limited opportunities for sustained reflection, experimentation and practice. Schools may be encouraged to cultivate creativity and agency while continuing to operate in cultures shaped by compliance, standardisation and procedural expectations.