NEP 2020 Is Incomplete Without Practical STEM Labs: What Schools Are Missing

By Abhineet Sharma

India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promises a big shift: less rote learning, more problem-solving, creativity, and real-world skills. On paper, it clearly says that experiential learning and hands-on education should become standard in every classroom.

But in thousands of schools, students still mostly learn science, maths, and technology from textbooks and boards, not from experiments, models, or projects. That is where practical STEM labs (for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) become critical. Without them, NEP 2020 remains more of a document than a lived reality for students.

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What NEP 2020 Actually Wants Classrooms to Look Like

NEP 2020 is very clear on one point: learning by doing should become the norm, not the exception. In section 4.6, it talks about experiential learning, hands-on activities, and competency-based education, where students understand concepts by applying them rather than just memorising them.

The policy encourages:

Project-based learning
Inquiry-driven science
Integration of arts and sports with academics
Use of technology and simulations

Global organisations like UNESCO and the World Bank also highlight that 21st-century education must build skills like critical thinking, collaboration, problem-solving, and digital literacy, not just exam scores. In simple terms, NEP 2020 wants classrooms where students experiment, design, build, test, and reflect. That is exactly what well-designed STEM labs make possible on a daily basis.

The Ground Reality: Labs, Devices, and the Access Gap

While the vision is strong, the infrastructure is still catching up. According to recent school infrastructure data, out of 2.86 lakh schools with secondary sections in India, only about 1.6 lakh have an integrated science laboratory. Among government secondary schools, just 50.2% have a science lab facility.

Digital readiness is also uneven. The latest UDISE+ 2023–24 figures show that:

57.2% of schools have computers
53.9% have internet access

That means nearly half of India’s schools still lack reliable access to computers or internet-based tools, making it difficult to run coding, simulation, or robotics programmes at scale.

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Meanwhile, the reports towards industry disclose that the employability continues to be an issue. According to the India Skills Report 2025, approximately 54.8% of Indian graduates are employable, and the tech and IT skills are in huge demand. A different analysis of graduate skills has also revealed a lack of problem-solving, practical skills, and soft skills, not just in the case of technical degree graduates.

This sets up a direct disconnect: the policy and industry requirements are hands-on and yet a significant portion of schools are at present deficient in both physical and digital capabilities to provide such.

Why Practical STEM Labs Matter More Than Ever

Practical STEM labs are not just “nice to have” add-ons. They are the bridge between NEP 2020’s vision and real learning outcomes. In a STEM lab, students:

Carry out experiments rather than just reading an experiment.
Learn physics and electronics using sensors, circuits and basic hardware.
Coding, have the actual experience of learning to code by programming robots, microcontrollers or simulations.
Brainstorming. Collaborate in groups to work on open-ended problems.

Studies of integrated STEM education indicate that strategies can assist students to relate science and maths to the real world, stimulate higher levels of thinking, and enhance attitudes toward STEM subjects.

For India, this is not just an academic issue. A future workforce that can design systems, debug code, understand data, and build prototypes is essential for sectors like manufacturing, clean energy, healthcare technology, mobility, and AI. Without practical exposure in school, many students only encounter such skills very late, if at all.

What Schools Are Missing Without Hands-On Labs

When schools do not have functional STEM labs, students miss out on several critical advantages:

1. Concept clarity: Experiments turn abstract formulas into concrete experiences. For example, understanding motion, electricity, or chemical reactions becomes far easier when students can see and measure them. With no labs, most students will memorise answers without actually knowing them.

2. Confidence and curiosity: Within a lab it is expected to make errors, amend, and re-do it. This develops strength and interest. Students are also taught that they should not be punished by failure, since it is one of the processes of experimentation.

3. Teamwork and coordination: Labs inherently entail cooperation: sharing of roles, recording of observations, reporting of findings. Such are the same skills that employers have continuously claimed they seek, not marks and degrees.

4. Premature familiarity with new technologies: Without coding kits, robotics kits, or even basic electronics tools, students may not graduate with anything to demonstrate their future in a world where technologies dominate their future career. That increases the disparity between advantaged and underprivileged schools.

Concisely, a classroom-only version of NEP 2020 lacks the transformation that it seeks to implement. Practical STEM labs are where the policy truly comes alive.

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How Schools Can Start Building Practical STEM Labs

Setting up a STEM lab does not always require a massive budget from day one. Many guidelines and implementation models now emphasise phased, practical approaches.

Schools can begin by:

Starting with a basic integrated science corner: low-cost apparatus, models, and experiment kits aligned to the syllabus.
Adding a simple maker/tinkering space: cardboard, motors, sensors, basic tools, and open-ended design challenges.
Introducing coding using free or low-cost tools and block-based platforms, then moving to text-based coding and hardware integration.
Collaboration with third parties, CSR programmes, or NGOs to co-design labs, teacher development and student programmes.

Equipment is no more important than teacher preparation. Most of the recent programmes as part of NEP 2020 focus on building capacity to convert school leaders and teachers to project-based and innovation-led pedagogies. When teachers feel confident using labs, students benefit the most.

While policy defines what needs to change, real transformation depends on how schools execute these ideas on the ground. Practical lab-based approaches like these highlight that NEP 2020’s goals are achievable when schools are supported with the right infrastructure, training, and learning frameworks.

A Call to Action: Moving from Policy to Practice

NEP 2020 has already set the direction: schools must move beyond rote learning and nurture creative, skilled, and future-ready citizens. However, so long as real life STEM laboratories are merely considered an extra, that pledge will not be fully achieved.

The data is clear:

Not all schools have science labs or digital infrastructure yet.
Employers continue to report gaps in problem-solving and practical skills among graduates.

On the other hand, we are already seeing positive examples: states piloting AI and robotics curricula in schools and national programmes that encourage innovation and project-based learning.

For school leaders, boards, and policymakers, the message is simple: NEP 2020 is not complete in spirit until every child has the chance to learn science, technology, engineering, and maths with their hands, not just their pen.

Practical STEM labs are not just rooms with equipment. They are spaces where students start seeing themselves as problem-solvers, creators, and future professionals. Closing the gap between NEP’s vision and today’s classrooms will depend on how quickly and thoughtfully India can bring such labs into every type of school, across every region.