#1175: Purpose and Paradox in India’s National Education Policy 2020: The Catch-22s of Learning Reform

India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions transformative, learner-centered reform. However, its implementation faces inherent contradictions. Using Deborah Stone’s Policy Paradox framework, this study identifies three Catch-22s in NEP’s goals: technical expertise versus holistic growth, linguistic rootedness versus global readiness, and formative versus standardized assessment. By framing these tensions as products of democratic negotiation, this study highlights the importance of acknowledging and managing the competing interests and values inherent in any large-scale reform.