The NEP 2020 is a boon to the higher education system in India as it can bridge all the gaps and improve the higher education system, to be competent enough to be at par with international institutions of quality says Dr Anand A Samuel, VC, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).
T he National Education Policy 2020 is a policy that has substance which can take Indian Higher Education to Global Standards. With regard to Technical Higher Education, currently there is big gap in Quality of Education imparted, Pedagogy followed, Employability of graduates, Personality of students, Autonomy extended to the private players and Speed of implementation of any decision. It totally neglects the entry behavior of the students while planning the pedagogy and rarely includes the requirements of the fast-moving digital world while designing the curriculum.
Across our nation, the various strata of institutions have different issues with different degrees of difficulty. To cite a few, many institutions are focused on student pass percentage and are unmindful of overall personality development which is needed for employability. Many elite institutions are grooming students for the global market and are successfully doing it. Some institutions are functioning without proper internet connectivity in this digital era, where as some are preparing themselves for 100% virtual operation. The gap existing among institutions are so wide that the average pulls the higher education system down.
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Under these circumstances, the NEP 2020 is a boon to the higher education system in India as it can bridge all the gaps and improve the higher education system, to be competent enough to be at par with international institutions of quality.
Autonomy to the institutions, introduction of flexibility in the higher education system, multi-disciplinary and more so transdisciplinary focus, importance to the holistic development of students, multiple entry and exit options in degree programmes, introduction of research in undergraduate level, extensive use of technology in the delivery of instructions in the institutions, thrust on online education to improve the gross enrolment ratio, equal treatment to all the higher education institutions be it private or public, system of academic bank of credits facilitating the movement of students across institutions, getting rid of affiliation system in higher education system, proposed shuffling in the regulatory system, promised increase in budgetary figures, increased scholarship numbers and amount to students, introduction of three different cadres in institutions, mandatory training for the faculty members, etc, are laudable features concerning higher education in the NEP 2020.
A good policy will not automatically bring good dividends. It depends on the way the policies are implemented. The focus now should be on implementation strategies. Policy implementation strategies will have to be carefully drafted taking in to confidence all the stakeholders.
As it is known that the success of higher education is dependent on the school education, combined analysis only can do good to the nation. Challenges on proper Internet connectivity across the nation, required fund allocation for education and specifically for research in higher education, dismantling affiliation system will be heavy and if tackled appropriately and implemented genuinely, NEP 2020 will be a boon.
