Integrating Indian Knowledge Systems Under Nep 2020: Teachers' Epistemological Negotiations and Pedagogical Challenges

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 strategically positions Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) at the core of educational reform in India, championing their comprehensive integration across both school and higher education curricula. Despite this pronounced policy impetus, empirical research scrutinising how educators perceive, interpret, and operationalise IKS within contemporary pedagogical and assessment frameworks remains notably scarce. Seeking to redress this lacuna, the present study diligently investigates teachers' perspectives on IKS integration, with a focused examination of epistemological tensions, pedagogical challenges, and institutional constraints. Employing a rigorous qualitative research design, the study leverages a structured content analysis derived from 45 semi-structured interviews conducted with educators spanning both school and university levels across six diverse Indian states. The methodology involved iterative coding within NVivo software, with inter-coder agreement rigorously assessed to ensure reliability. Through systematic coding and subsequent thematic analysis, the findings unequivocally underscore a palpable disconnect between stated policy aspirations and the complexities of classroom realities. The findings demonstrate that while teachers largely concur on the inherent educational value of IKS, they invariably encounter formidable obstacles. These challenges primarily stem from insufficient pedagogical preparation, excessive curriculum demands, scanty instructional materials, and a marked incongruity between IKS-oriented learning objectives and prevailing standardised assessment methodologies. Consequently, four intricately interrelated themes crystallise: namely, epistemological tensions arising from the interface between indigenous and modern scientific knowledge systems; pervasive institutional inertia coupled with significant resource scarcity; profound difficulties in pedagogical translation; and persistent assessment dilemmas within examination-dominated educational landscapes. Theoretically, this research significantly contributes by reconceptualising educators not as mere passive implementers of policy directives, but rather as active epistemic mediators who navigate and operate within a complex framework of epistemological pluralism. Furthermore, by adeptly situating these Indian experiences within the expansive global discourses surrounding indigenous knowledge integration and decolonised education, the study yields profound insights pertinent to international deliberations encompassing culturally responsive pedagogy, comprehensive curriculum reform, and the critical domain of teacher capacity building.