Indian Knowledge Systems in India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020

Abstract

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 positions Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) as a vital resource for reimagining education in India, from early childhood to higher education and research. This paper analyses how NEP 2020 integrates IKS to nurture holistic learning, ethical values, creativity, and contextual problem-solving. It reviews the policy’s vision, situates it in the literature on indigenous knowledge and decolonial curriculum, maps NEP’s actionable provisions related to IKS, and examines their implications for curriculum design, pedagogy, teacher education, assessment, and higher education reform. Drawing on emerging implementations, the paper identifies challenges— including curricular overload, teacher capacity, research rigor, and risk of tokenism—and offers a practical roadmap and evaluation metrics to realize IKS as a living, evolving knowledge ecosystem aligned with global standards. The paper concludes that IKS integration can enrich India’s knowledge economy, strengthen cultural rootedness with global readiness, and foster sustainable development, provided it is pursued with academic rigor, inclusivity, and interdisciplinary research.