Inclusion of Horticulture in the School Curriculum: NEP

The National Educational Policy (NEP) aims to establish an Indian-rooted educational system that significantly contributes to India’s transformation into a dynamic and educated society. To guarantee ongoing education, NEP places an emphasis on five pillars: affordability, accessibility, quality, equity, and accountability. It aims to create an efficient and long-lasting infrastructure so that every student, from preschool through 12th grade, can enjoy a safe and exciting learning environment. NEP emphasizes the fundamental requirement for horticulture instruction in schools. The goal of horticulture as a subject is to make experiential learning easier for students.

Horticulture Fundamental principles of NEP
• Passing the traditional Indian education is emphasized by NEP.
• The National Educational Policy emphasizes the urgent need for horticulture in a population that is constantly expanding. Urbanization and industrialization are increasing the number of people in India, home to 1.4 billion people, who do not have access to healthy food.
• It emphasizes the significance of horticulture to the economy, production, creation of jobs, environmental protection, and development of human resources.
• Students should be able to grow and produce plant materials as part of the curriculum.

Horticulture in School Education
The teaching of horticulture will provide students with a solid foundation for learning. Learning that is comprehensive, integrated, enjoyable, and engaging will result from the school’s curriculum and pedagogy, as will accreditation for school education. The vocational sciences with multiple focuses will be shown to the students. The way students view nature, believe in nature, and observe plants from seed to harvest is developed through horticulture as a course.

Career Opportunities
There are more career paths in consulting, research and development, and technical services available in the horticulture industry. A graduate of horticulture can work as a plant breeder, horticulturist, floriculturist, pomologist, horticultural consultant, horticultural therapist, greenhouse manager, landscape architect, viticulturist, nursery manager, etc.

Future scope
The students can look into starting their own business in the horticulture industry in the future. Students would be encouraged to obtain their own patent rights through innovative projects, labs, and technological innovations. For agricultural students, the Indian government offers various programs and scholarships to help them succeed.