Table of Contents
NEP 2020 Short Forms
Policy bodies, Commissions, Councils, Accreditation & Governance
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| CABE | Central Advisory Board of Education | Advises the government on education policy and reforms. |
| GEC | General Education Council | Sets academic standards and expected learning outcomes in HE. |
| HECI | Higher Education Commission of India | Proposed umbrella body for HE regulation and coordination. |
| NHERC | National Higher Education Regulatory Council | Proposed regulator for HEIs (permissions, norms, compliance). |
| HEGC | Higher Education Grants Council | Proposed funding/grants body under the new HE structure. |
| NAC | National Accreditation Council | Accreditation body for institutional quality assurance. |
| UGC | University Grants Commission | Existing HE regulator/funder referenced in NEP transition. |
| NCTE | National Council for Teacher Education | Regulates teacher education programmes and TEIs. |
| NCVET | National Council for Vocational Education and Training | Sets standards/quality for vocational education and training. |
| NCIVE | National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education | Integrates vocational education into school/HE systems. |
| CoA | Council of Architecture | Professional council regulating architecture education. |
| PCI | Pharmacy Council of India | Professional council regulating pharmacy education. |
| RCI | Rehabilitation Council of India | Regulates rehabilitation/special education professional standards. |
| VCI | Veterinary Council of India | Professional council regulating veterinary education. |
| PSSB | Professional Standard Setting Body | Sets professional standards (mainly for vocational/professional areas). |
| BoG | Board of Governors | Top governing body of many institutions for decisions/administration. |
| BoA | Board of Assessment | Assessment/quality oversight body mentioned for evaluation systems. |
| SSSA | State School Standards Authority | State body to set/monitor school standards and quality. |
Ministries & Government Departments
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| MoE | Ministry of Education | Main ministry for NEP planning and implementation. |
| MHRD | Ministry of Human Resource Development | Old name of MoE (appears in older references). |
| MWCD | Ministry of Women and Child Development | Linked to ECCE and child development support. |
| MHFW | Ministry of Health and Family Welfare | Linked to health education and wellness support. |
| DAE | Department of Atomic Energy | Linked to specialised education/research ecosystems. |
| DBT | Department of Biotechnology | Supports biotech education and research. |
| DST | Department of Science and Technology | Supports science/technology education and research. |
Institutions, Universities, Centers & Administrative Units
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| HEI | Higher Education Institutions | All colleges/universities/institutes under HE reforms. |
| AC | Autonomous degree-granting College | College with autonomy to design/run degree programmes. |
| MERU | Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities | Proposed model universities for multidisciplinary learning and research. |
| IIT | Indian Institute of Technology | Top technical institutes; used as excellence examples. |
| NIT | National Institute of Technology | National-level technical institutes in HE structure. |
| IIM | Indian Institute of Management | National management institutes under HE ecosystem. |
| IGNOU | Indira Gandhi National Open University | Major ODL university reference. |
| NIOS | National Institute of Open Schooling | Open schooling for flexible secondary/senior secondary education. |
| SIOS | State Institutes of Open Schooling | State-level open schooling bodies. |
| ITI | Industrial Training Institute | Skill/vocational training institute. |
| IITI | Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation | Supports translation/interpretation and language ecosystem. |
| AEC | Adult Education Centre | Adult literacy and continuing education centre. |
| DIET | District Institute of Education and Training | District-level teacher training and academic support. |
| BITE | Block Institute of Teacher Education | Block-level teacher education/training support unit. |
| CIET | Central Institute of Educational Technology | NCERT unit supporting educational technology. |
| NCERT | National Council of Educational Research and Training | Curriculum/textbooks/teacher support at national level. |
| SCERT | State Council of Educational Research and Training | State-level curriculum + teacher support body. |
| BEO | Block Education Officer | Block-level school education administration and monitoring. |
| DEO | District Education Officer | District-level school education administration and monitoring. |
| DSE | Directorate of School Education | State directorate managing school education. |
| BRC | Block Resource Centre | Block-level academic support and teacher training. |
| CRC | Cluster Resource Centre | Cluster-level academic monitoring and teacher support. |
Curriculum Frameworks, Qualifications, Plans & Standards
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| NCF | National Curriculum Framework | National guideline for curriculum design. |
| NCFSE | National Curriculum Framework for School Education | School-stage curriculum framework under NEP. |
| NCFTE | National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education | Framework guiding teacher education curriculum. |
| NCPFECCE | National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education | ECCE curriculum and pedagogy framework. |
| NHEQF | National Higher Education Qualifications Framework | Defines HE qualification levels and outcomes. |
| NSQF | National Skills Qualifications Framework | Defines skill qualification levels for vocational pathways. |
| CBCS | Choice Based Credit System | Credit-based system giving learners subject choices. |
| ECCE | Early Childhood Care and Education | Foundational stage focus (early years learning and care). |
| IDP | Institutional Development Plan | Institutional improvement plan for growth/quality. |
| SDP | School Development Plan | School-level plan for improvement and targets. |
| SCDP | School Complex/Cluster Development Plans | Plan for school complexes/clusters for shared resources. |
| SCF | State Curricular Framework | State curriculum framework aligned with NEP vision. |
| SQAAF | School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework | Framework to assess and accredit school quality. |
| NPST | National Professional Standards for Teachers | Standards defining teacher competencies and expectations. |
| CMP | Career Management and Progression | Teacher career planning and progression structure. |
| CPD | Continuous Professional Development | Ongoing teacher/faculty training and upskilling. |
| STEM | Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics | Priority area for skills, innovation, future readiness. |
| GCED | Global Citizenship Education | Education for values, citizenship, global responsibility. |
Assessment, Surveys, Data Systems & Ratios
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| PARAKH | Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic development | National assessment centre for reforms in school assessment. |
| NAS | National Achievement Survey | National survey measuring learning levels. |
| SAS | State Achievement Survey | State survey measuring learning levels. |
| U-DISE | Unified District Information System for Education | School education database for planning/monitoring. |
| NSSO | National Sample Survey Office | National survey/data reference in policy planning. |
| GER | Gross Enrolment Ratio | Access/participation indicator in education. |
| PTR | Pupil Teacher Ratio | Key indicator for teacher availability and quality. |
| NTA | National Testing Agency | Conducts major tests; referenced in assessment/testing ecosystem. |
Digital, ICT, Online Learning & Credit Systems
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| ICT | Information and Communication Technology | Tech use in teaching-learning and administration. |
| AI | Artificial Intelligence | Emerging tech focus area in education/skills. |
| API | Application Programming Interface | Term used in digital platform integration context. |
| DIKSHA | Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing | National digital platform for teacher resources/content. |
| NETF | National Educational Technology Forum | Proposed forum guiding edtech use and policy. |
| MOOC | Massive Open Online Course | Online courses designed for large learners. |
| SWAYAM | Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds | Govt platform hosting MOOCs and online courses. |
| ODL | Open and Distance Learning | Distance mode education in HE. |
| ABC | Academic Bank of Credit | Credit storage/transfer for multiple entry-exit in HE. |
Degrees, Programmes & Education Pathways
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| B.Ed. | Bachelor of Education | Teacher education degree for school teaching. |
| M.Ed. | Master of Education | Advanced degree in education/teacher education. |
| B.Voc | Bachelor of Vocational Education | UG vocational degree aligned to skill pathways. |
| MBBS | Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery | Medical education/professional degree reference. |
| M. Phil | Master of Philosophy | Legacy research degree reference. |
| Ph.D | Doctor of Philosophy | Highest research degree; linked to research ecosystem. |
| TEI | Teacher Education Institution | Institution running teacher education programmes. |
| TET | Teacher Eligibility Test | Eligibility test for teacher recruitment. |
| R&I | Research and Innovation | NEP focus area for research culture and outputs. |
| NRF | National Research Foundation | Proposed body to boost research funding and capacity. |
| ICAR | Indian Council of Agricultural Research | Research support body (agriculture). |
| ICHR | Indian Council of Historical Research | Research support body (history). |
| ICMR | Indian Council of Medical Research | Research support body (medical). |
Inclusion, Disability Rights & Social Categories
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| CWSN | Children With Special Needs | Inclusive education support for special needs learners. |
| RPWD | Rights of Persons with Disabilities | Rights framework used for inclusion policies. |
| SEDG | Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Group | Target group for equity-based interventions. |
| SEZ | Special Education Zone | Priority zones to improve access and outcomes. |
| SC | Scheduled Caste(s) | Social category used in equity and support measures. |
| ST | Scheduled Tribe(s) | Social category used in equity and support measures. |
| OBC | Other Backward Classes | Social category used in equity and support measures. |
| ISL | Indian Sign Language | Inclusion support for learners with hearing impairment. |
School Governance, Committees & Co-curricular
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| SMC | School Management Committee | Community-based school governance and accountability body. |
| SCMC | School Complex Management Committee | Governance at school complex/cluster level. |
| SSA | Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan | School education programme reference (legacy/continuity). |
| NCC | National Cadet Corps | Youth development and discipline co-curricular programme. |
| SSS | Simple Standard Sanskrit | Approach for simplified Sanskrit usage/learning. |
| STS | Sanskrit Through Sanskrit | Method of teaching Sanskrit using Sanskrit. |
Finance, Rules, Systems & Formal Agreements
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| GFR | General Financial Rule | Govt rules for finance/procurement in institutions. |
| PFMS | Public Financial Management System | Govt system for tracking funds and payments. |
| MOU | Memorandum of Understanding | Formal agreement between institutions/agencies. |
| NGO | Non-Governmental Organization | Partner organisations in education initiatives. |
| CBSE | Central Board of Secondary Education | Major school board in Indian education ecosystem. |
Development, Economy, Global Bodies & Administrative Units
| Shortform | Full Form | Meaning / Where used |
|---|---|---|
| GDP | Gross Domestic Product | Economic indicator used in planning/funding context. |
| SDG | Sustainable Development Goal | Global goals linked with education and development. |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization | Global body guiding education goals and frameworks. |
| UT | Union Territory | Administrative unit for policy implementation context. |
| AYUSH | Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy | Indian traditional systems referenced in wellness/health education. |
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