SOCIOECONOMIC ENCUMBRANCE AND EDUCATIONAL ACCESS: IMPEDIMENTS, PANACEAS AND NEP 2020 AS A BEACON

Abstract

Education can be appropriately defined as a systematic and purposeful process of gaining knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that contribute positively to the process of understanding the world and develop competencies, and abilities of an individual to function as a significant contributor to society. For centuries, the formal education system has been acting as a promising facilitator or platform for preparing the potential minds of learners as worthwhile assets in social scenarios. Although, learning is a continuous lifelong process informal life experiences play a significant role in shaping an individual's outlook towards life, society, economy and are crucial in determining the level of attainments, achievements and realization of goals and aims. Since man is a social being, all actions and reactions are highly influenced by both antediluvian and contemporary prerogatives and denials of the socio-economic infrastructure that it belongs to. Irrespective of decades of governmental planning, funding and research, these structural handicaps have been instrumental in delimiting access to education across society and have brought down development scenarios cumulatively. This study is aimed at delving into the reasons for and solutions to such socioeconomic impediments. This study also explores the probable ways the NEP 2020 could emerge as a lodestar in minimizing those obstacles and contribute remarkably to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) as planned.