Reimagining School Education in India: How the National Education Policy 2020 Seeks to Reduce Academic and Social Stress among Students

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 represents a significant shift in India’s educational framework with the intent to transform how children learn and grow in schools. One of its key aspirations is to lessen various forms of stress faced by students. Traditional school systems in India have long been associated with intense academic competition, high-stakes examinations, pressure from parents and society. These stressors contribute to anxiety, reduced motivation, and poor mental health outcomes among learners. NEP 2020 proposes major reforms including holistic curricula, socio-emotional learning, continuous assessment, reduced curriculum load, and counselling services within schools. This paper discusses how these policy elements support the contemporary issues in school education, evaluates early-stage implementations like counselling models, and examines whether NEP’s strategic shifts reasonably address student stress. It also proposes areas for strengthened implementation to achieve intended well-being outcomes.