Educational Values of the National Education Policy 2020: An Axiological Analysis

Abstract The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) represents a significant normative shift in Indian education by foregrounding educational values as central to teaching–learning processes and institutional culture. While much scholarly discourse has examined NEP 2020 from structural, curricular, and implementation perspectives, limited attention has been devoted to its axiological foundations. This review article critically analyses NEP 2020 through the lens of axiology, the philosophical study of values by examining how the policy conceptualizes ethical, moral, constitutional, cultural, and human values in education. Drawing upon Indian philosophical traditions, value theory, moral education literature, and Western educational thought, the paper explores how NEP 2020 positions values not as supplementary outcomes but as intrinsic aims of education. The analysis reveals that NEP 2020 advances a value-centered vision of education oriented toward human dignity, social responsibility, democratic citizenship, and holistic well-being. The paper argues that NEP 2020 constitutes a normative educational framework that redefines quality education in terms of ethical consciousness and value-based human development.