Environmental Education in India’s National Education Policy Challenges and Emerging Opportunities
Keywords:
Environmental education, National Education Policy 2020, sustainability learning, climate literacy, India, curriculum reformAbstract
This paper examines environmental education within the framework of India’s National Education Policy 2020, focusing on the challenges and emerging opportunities associated with its implementation across school, higher and vocational education. Using secondary data from policy documents and recent scholarly studies, the paper analyses how sustainability has been integrated into curricula, pedagogy and institutional practices. The findings indicate that NEP 2020 has strengthened the visibility of environmental education and encouraged interdisciplinary and experiential learning, yet significant disparities persist in terms of teacher preparedness, resource availability and regional access. Urban and better-resourced institutions demonstrate stronger engagement with sustainability initiatives, while rural and government institutions face structural constraints. The study highlights that assessment practices and limited professional development continue to restrict the depth of environmental learning. Overall, the paper underscores that while NEP 2020 provides a progressive policy framework, its transformative potential for environmental education depends on sustained institutional support and pedagogical reform.
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