Blended Pedagogy in the Light of National Education Policy of India (2020): A Detailed Analysis of UGC’s Concept Note on Blended Mode of Teaching and Learning

The 21st century saw significant growth and adoption of technology into the field of education. The educational sector was gradually embracing digitalization and Web 2.0. Nearly all across the world, tools like language applications, online learning software, virtual tutoring, and video conferencing were becoming a component of the academic curriculum. Despite technological advancements in the education sector Third-world nations like India were falling behind and were hesitant to venture into this brand-new field of educational technology. However, the world turned upside down with the outbreak of COVID 19, it forced the entire world to change in many different ways. Clearly education world was not ready to shift from the traditional system to the online mode, the shift was sudden, unplanned, and the teachers did not get time for preparation or training. One cannot deny that the world is not the same ever since, such an event has caused lasting impression on the world. Hence, it is now essential to give technology the attention it deserves and to implement approaches like blended learning as a fundamental component of learning and teaching in the current educational system. The Indian government has been effective in identifying this need. Thus, giving birth to the New National Education Policy (NEP 2020). The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is a comprehensive policy framework for the future trajectory of education in India. Since the National Policy on Education (NPE) of 1986, it is India's first comprehensive education policy. An extensive change of India's educational system is envisioned by NEP 2020, with a focus on online and blended learning in particular. Thus, this paper aims to discuss Blended Pedagogy in the Light of National Education Policy of India (2020) and to conduct a detailed review and analysis of UGC's Concept Note on Blended Mode of Teaching and Learning.