Bridging Educational Gaps in Gautam Buddha Nagar District: Fostering Equity through Gender Inclusion under National Education Policy 2020

Author : Sonali Ghosh

Abstract : Gender gap in enrolment hinders the achievement of gender equality. Positive Change in Women's participation, reducing the gender gap in elementary education, has become more evident in the last five years in India. In 2020, the National Education Policy (NEP) has been adopted by the Government of India as an equitable policy measure to ensure education for all, removing disparities based on gender, social status, location, etc. National Education Policy 2020, recognising that women belong to ‘Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs)’, has framed policy measures like the Gender Inclusion Fund, expanding residential facilities like Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) to cater the demand of women in remote areas, etc. The Objective of the paper is to examine the impact of the measures adopted under NEP 2020 to promote gender equality and women's participation in education. The awareness of NEP 2020 provisions among the urban poor, including laborers who have migrated from other states, has been analysed to identify problem areas in implementation. In this study, areas of Gautam Buddha Nagar have been covered, considering its unique socio-cultural setup and dynamic urban character. Adopting the Mix Method Approach, Geospatial Technology has been used primarily to understand the distribution of schools and access to facilities among different groups of the urban poor. While responses were recorded from the Guardians, Students and Teachers to outline the problems of inaccessibility. Since the NEP 2020 emphasises access to Quality Education for all, aligning with the global targets of SDG 4 and SDG5, the participation of Women from all classes in educational accessibility has to be ensured through ground-level implementation. The paper offers an overview of the persistent problems faced by the urban poor in accessing education, and the migrant group is more vulnerable to completing their schooling.

Keywords : NEP 2020, Sustainable Development Goals, SDG4, SDG5, Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), Gender Gap, Gender Discrimination

Conference Name : International Conference on Migration, Education and Cultural Identity (ICMECI-26)

Conference Place : Delhi, India

Conference Date : 27th Jun 2026