Operationalising Cluster School Complex in Accordance with New Education Policy, 2020: A Conceptual Mapping with Network Governance

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has proposed the creation of “school complexes and clusters.” This involves forming a group of schools in a particular geographical area that can collaborate to create capacity and address ensuing challenges, such as scarcity of resources and teachers. This can be done by exchange of best practices and pooling of resources. In this aspect, there will be a shift towards giving higher responsibilities and roles to schools in the complex and transforming them into an ‘integrated self-improving’ system. The research paper seeks to discern the extent to which the cluster school complex model exhibits attributes akin to network governance principles. Through conceptual mapping and a framework analysis, this study aims to map the alignment between the NEP proposed School Complex and the tenets of network governance, thereby contributing to a nuanced understanding of its operational dynamics and implications. The study aims to delineate the structural elements, decision making processes, stakeholder interactions, and resource flows inherent in the cluster school complex framework, thereby understanding the extent of alignment against the attributes of network governance.