BRIDGING TRADITION AND INNOVATION: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEP 2020’S CURRICULUM REFORMS AND PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES

NEP 2020 aims to make a flexible, comprehensive, and student-centred educational system where learners’ variety and vibrancy are reflected in classrooms where inquiry and creativity are fostered (Sarkar, 2023). The curriculum reforms’ efficiency in fusing old-style values with modern 9teaching methods and evolving inclusive, learner-centred, and all-round education, the study pursues to understand how NEP 2020 links India’s Educational traditions with cutting-edge pedagogical innovations. The curricular and pedagogical changes of NEP 2020 are critically examined in this paper using a qualitative policy analysis technique. The researcher interprets policy aims, assumptions, and implications by methodically reviewing the NEP 2020, official publications, and academic interpretations using document analysis. A thematic and interpretative framework guides the analysis. NEP 2020 effectively mixes India’s educational tradition with current teaching by promoting classical languages and values with competency-based, student-centered pedagogy. It encourages a comprehensive, interdisciplinary curriculum that develops life skills, creativity, and critical thinking. While teacher empowerment via improved training connects pedagogy with high-quality instruction. It takes a varied range of contextual adaptability to strike a balance between traditional values and cutting-edge techniques. The effectiveness of the policy hinges on closing the gap between the ideal and actual classroom environment through sustained support and curriculum customisation at the local level. For reforms to be operationalised, professional development for teachers is essential. Long-term, NEP 2020 has the potential to transform Indian education into a culturally grounded, inclusive, and future-ready system if these challenges are addressed.