Published Paper Details:

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has been a game-changing event in the Indian education sector as it emphasizes on the holistic, multidisciplinary and the lifelong learning (LLL) approaches to meet the ever-changing requirements of the 21st century. Lifelong learning in the policy is a concept that goes beyond the traditional classroom and formal learning systems restricted to certain ages. It is aimed at enabling individuals to gain knowledge and skills continually throughout their lives, thus helping them to be more flexible, employable, and grow personally. This article deals with the involvement of lifelong learning in NEP 2020 as well as its potential of the new India that can be ready for the future. It talks about the main tools such as the Academic Bank of Credits, digital learning platforms, various entry-exit choices, vocational education, and adult education through which this aim can be realized. On the one hand, NEP 2020 opens new possibilities to create human capital, innovation, and societal development inclusively; on the other hand, it has a fair share of challenges that it has to surmount. They are the digital divide, the discontinuities of the policy, socio-cultural barriers, lack of finances, and the need for local, relevant content. The article argues that with these problems the implementation of the LLL would be more difficult if it would not provide a strategic vision of the future that includes investments in digital infrastructures, capacity building, and awareness-raising campaigns. It contends that the proper implementation of NEP 2020 has the potential to change India's educational ecosystem into a lifelong learning society where everyone has access to continuous, flexible, and meaningful educational opportunities. The article sees in the end of the text a picture of India as a resilient, knowledge-driven nation that gains from education throughout the lifespan.