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VOL. 11, ISSUE 1 (2026)
Multidisciplinarity in education: Moving towards holistic development under NEP 2020
Authors
Dr. Chaitali Biswas
Abstract
The National Education
Policy (NEP) 2020 places holistic development at the centre of educational
reform in India and treats multidisciplinarity as one of the principal means of
achieving it. The policy argues that education must move beyond rote learning,
rigid subject boundaries, and narrow examination-based success toward the
development of intellectual, social, emotional, ethical, aesthetic, and
practical capacities. This review paper examines how NEP 2020 connects holistic
development with multidisciplinary education across school and higher
education. The study is based on document analysis of the NEP 2020, the
National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage 2022, the National
Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023, UGC guidelines on
multidisciplinary institutions, and related official documents. The analysis
shows that NEP 2020 envisions holistic development through reduced curricular
load, experiential and competency-based learning, arts and sports integration,
flexible subject choice, reformed assessment, multidisciplinary higher
education institutions, and renewed teacher preparation. It also emphasizes
institutional restructuring, including the transformation of single-stream
institutions into multidisciplinary higher education institutions by 2040. The
paper concludes that multidisciplinarity is not treated in NEP 2020 as a mere
structural reform; rather, it is a philosophical and pedagogical shift intended
to produce well-rounded, creative, ethical, and socially responsible learners
equipped for the demands of the twenty-first century.
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Pages:107-109
How to cite this article:
Dr. Chaitali Biswas "Multidisciplinarity in education: Moving towards holistic development under NEP 2020". International Journal of Academic Research and Development, Vol 11, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 107-109
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