Bridging Education and Sustainability: The Role of NEP 2020 in Advancing SDGs

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that focus on enhancing the value addition across the education system. The present study highlights the prospects of India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to advance sustainable development. It is a paradigm change in the Indian education system as it encourages holistic and multidisciplinary learning that is aligned with global sustainable development goals (SDGs). The policy aids in the development of skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and care for the environment through the inclusion of vocational literacy, skill competence, and curriculum focused on sustainability. The review brings together evidence from scholarly papers, policy reports, and global publications to evaluate the success of NEP 2020 in tackling SDG goals, specifically SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 10 and SDG 13. This article also discusses how the policy has the capacity to create behavioral change, community participation, and employability in sustainable industries. It also raises challenges, gaps and shortfalls that may hinder successful implementation. The research shows that to construct a sustainable, equitable, and resilient future aligning education reform with sustainability goals is of urgent importance. Infrastructural gaps, limited funds, and unequal implementation are the ongoing hindrances especially in rural and marginalized contexts that are serious hurdles for hurdle free implementation of this policy. The review concludes that NEP 2020 could be a catalyst for attainment of various SDGs that will re-shape India as a sustainable, inclusive, and knowledge-based society.