Bridging Indian Knowledge Systems and Digital Pedagogy: A Culturally Responsive Framework for School Education under NEP 2020

The integration of Indian Knowledge Systems into school education under NEP 2020 presents an important opportunity to make learning more contextual, culturally meaningful and holistic. However, the success of this agenda depends on how integration is conceptualised and enacted. Simply inserting traditional facts into textbooks or attaching digital technology to existing lessons is unlikely to produce meaningful pedagogical change. This paper proposed an IKS–Digital Pedagogy Integration Framework connecting policy foundation, knowledge bridging, pedagogical process, digital enablement, inclusion and expected learning outcomes. Its central proposition is that IKS and contemporary knowledge should enter into a constructive, evidence-sensitive dialogue. Digital tools can support this dialogue by making local knowledge visible, documenting community practices, enabling multilingual participation and facilitating inquiry across physical and virtual spaces. At the same time, technology should remain subordinate to sound pedagogy, and IKS should be approached with both respect and critical examination. A culturally responsive school does not require learners to choose between tradition and modernity. It can enable them to understand where knowledge comes from, how it is transmitted, how claims can be examined, and how different forms of knowledge may contribute to contemporary problems. In this sense, meaningful integration of IKS with digital pedagogy can contribute to a more plural, reflective and context-sensitive future for Indian school education.

[1] Ministry of Education, Government of India, “National Education Policy 2020,” New Delhi, India, 2020. [2] National Council of Educational Research and Training, “National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023,” New Delhi, India, 2023. [3] Indian Knowledge Systems Division, Ministry of Education, Government of India, “Indian Knowledge Systems Division,” 2020. [Online]. Available: https://iks.aicte-india.org/ [4] N. Pongsakdi, A. Kortelainen, and M. Veermans, “The impact of digital pedagogy training on in-service teachers’ attitudes towards digital technologies,” Education and Information Technologies, vol. 26, pp. 5041–5054, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s10639-021-10439-w. [5] R. Nandhakumar and K. Govindarajan, “Effectiveness of digital pedagogy on teaching competency in physical science among B.Ed. students with special reference to constructivism,” Indian Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 52–61, 2022. [6] B. Singh, R. Zamaletdinov, B. Kaur, and J. Singh, “Virtual professional learning for school teachers to support them in online environment,” Frontiers in Education, vol. 7, 802882, 2022, doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.802882. [7] A. Shukla, “Integration of Indian Knowledge Systems in education under NEP 2020,” International Journal of Social Impact, vol. 11, no. 1, 2026, doi: 10.25215/2455/11011002. [8] S. Jadon, V. Saxena, and A. Jadon, “From Gurukul to Global: Indian Knowledge Systems shaping NEP 2020,” International Journal of Innovations in Science Engineering and Management, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 153–160, 2025, doi: 10.69968/ijisem.2025v4i3153-160. [9] P. Joshi, A. Kasbe, G. Gaur, and D. Barot, “Reintegrating Indian Knowledge Systems in modern education: An analytical study,” Journal of Informatics Education and Research, vol. 5, no. 2, 2025, doi: 10.52783/jier.v5i2.2520. [10] N. M. Raval and A. J. Privitera, “Impact of Indian Knowledge Systems-based pedagogy on affective learning outcomes: A study of secondary school students in Gujarat, India,” Acta Scientiae, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 275–288, 2025, doi: 10.22178/acta.26.1.24.