The fundamental principles that will guide both the education system at large, as well as the individual institutions within it are:
• Recognizing, identifying, and fostering the unique capabilities of each student, by sensitizing teachers as well as parents to promote each student’s holistic development in both academic and non-academic spheres;
• according the highest priority to achieving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by all students by Grade 3;
• flexibility, so that learners have the ability to choose their learning trajectories and programmes, and thereby choose their own paths in life according to their talents and interests;
• no hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams, etc. in order to eliminate harmful hierarchies among, and silos between different areas of learning;
• multidisciplinarity and a holistic education across the sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, and sports for a multidisciplinary world in order to ensure the unity and integrity of all knowledge;
• emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than rote learning and learning-for-exams;
• creativity and critical thinking to encourage logical decision-making and innovation;
• ethics and human & Constitutional values like empathy, respect for others, cleanliness, courtesy, democratic spirit, spirit of service, respect for public property, scientific temper, liberty, responsibility, pluralism, equality, and justice;
• promoting multilingualism and the power of language in teaching and learning;
• life skills such as communication, cooperation, teamwork, and resilience;
• focus on regular formative assessment for learning rather than the summative assessment that encourages today’s ‘coaching culture ’;
• extensive use of technology in teaching and learning, removing language barriers, increasing access for Divyang students, and educational planning and management;
• respect for diversity and respect for the local context in all curriculum, pedagogy, and policy, always keeping in mind that education is a concurrent subject;
• full equity and inclusion as the cornerstone of all educational decisions to ensure that all students are able to thrive in the education system;
• synergy in curriculum across all levels of education from early childhood care and education to school education to higher education;
• teachers and faculty as the heart of the learning process – their recruitment, continuous professional development, positive working environments and service conditions;
• a ‘light but tight’ regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency, and resource efficiency of the educational system through audit and public disclosure while encouraging innovation and out-of-the-box ideas through autonomy, good governance, and empowerment;
• outstanding research as a corequisite for outstanding education and development;
• continuous review of progress based on sustained research and regular assessment by educational experts;
• a rootedness and pride in India, and its rich, diverse, ancient and modern culture and knowledge systems and traditions;
• education is a public service; access to quality education must be considered a basic right of every child;
• substantial investment in a strong, vibrant public education system as well as the encouragement and facilitation of true philanthropic private and community participation.