NEP 2020 lays special focus on gifted students

Uzziel Victor, a 5-year-old Hyderabadi who now may be learning basics of numeracy and literacy or not even enrolled in a formal school, owns a world record - fastest to solve 50 additions (2 digits x 1 digit) in 5 minutes (World book of records) and also advances in reciting religious scriptures, reading, writing and arts in comparison to his peers.

Ivanshikha Michelle, a 4-year-old Hyderabadi is the youngest to read English books for longest time of 30 minutes (International Book of records). How Uzziel and Ivanshikha have gifted abilities? Are they genetic or acquired?  Can Uzziel and Ivanshikha be labelled as gifted or talented? Do children like Uzziel and Ivanshikha need a formal IQ assessment to be identified and enrolled for gifted services? It is estimated that 3% to 5% (percentage according to National Association for Gifted Children) approximately 5 crore Indian children between 3-18 years of age are gifted.

There are several such children who exhibit advance abilities and potentials and are usually identified by parents and unidentified at school. Does this point out to failure or inability of schools and teachers in identifying the child's exceptional abilities?

To support gifted students and students with special talents like Uzziel and Ivanshikha, The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in paras 4.43 to 4.46 focused on supplementary enrichment material, guidance and engagement to support this special group.

The policy initiates a positive facet to discover, develop and empower the untapped potentials of the gifted students through proposed wide base of advocacy programmes, educational initiatives like arts, debate, language, math, science, sports circles and yoga, health and well-being clubs, interest groups level national residential summer programmes for secondary students with equitable – merit based admissions into the programmes at all levels from school to national level.

However, neither NEP 2020 nor the follow up booklet Two Years: NEP 2020 Implementation has delayed to clearly mention the guidelines and the identification process.

NEP 2020 loosely defines giftedness as innate talent in every student, which must be discovered, nurtured, fostered, and developed. According to the policy, These talents may express themselves in the form of varying interests, dispositions, and capacities. It further says, Those students that show particularly strong interests and capacities in a given realm must be encouraged to pursue that realm beyond the general school curriculum.

The policy directives point out at macro and micro level issues and address them by proposing 5+3+3+4 system with restructured B. Ed programmes, pedagogical changes to curriculum reduction and modification to promote critical thinking, analysis-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, inquiry – based learning for better learning experiences for wide variety of the learners in a classroom including identified and unidentified gifted students irrespective of their socio-economic factors is recommended.

As per the policy, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) will develop guidelines for teacher training and to allow specialisation in gifted education is also delayed. Not just a regular B.Ed or 4 year integrated training but teachers should be encouraged for special multi-level trainings with special designation by the experts.

Ministry of Education proposes to use volunteer enrolled through Vidayanjali 2.0 portal for education of the gifted. Unless policy and the policy implementers understand the macro and micro issues, ground reality, and challenges involved in gifted education, the policy many not be successful. Simultaneously, there needs to be awareness spike among all stakeholders – peers, teachers, school, and community about gifted behaviour, gifted services available.

However, the concept of giftedness is complex and complicated due to lack of research. In this complex scenario, can NEP2020 alone benefit gifted students in school? Or dedicated national policy for gifted education is needed? Globally, America, Australia, Canada, China, Europe (21 countries), Finland, Hong Kong, Korea, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Japan, New Jersey, Queensland, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom have their own dedicated policy for gifted education.

These countries do have a robust identification matrix to support their national treasure and also to improve academic challenge and engagement, level of instruction, student achievement, future success, socialization, bridging the individual's potentials to their personal and professional growth, increasing the major achievement index , development of science and technology, developing and retaining countries' own skill while minimizing issues like school dropouts, socioeconomic and racial disparity, and inadequate teacher training.

With NEP2020 inclusion, gifted individuals are an actuality in our divergent population unlike mere existence of western countries. Our formal education system along with existing expert NGO's should collaborate to make gifted education our next biggest harvest to reap.

The capital invested for the needs of gifted students are the pool of nation's greatest resources. As a Gifted education enthusiast, hope NEP 2020 shines bright light rather be light under the bushel for the gifted students. 

(The author is Ph. D Scholar, Indira Mahindra School of Education, Mahindra University)