Will India¡¯s National Education Policy take off?

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As higher education strategies go, India¡¯s National Education Policy (NEP) is not short of ambition.

It sets out to double higher education enrolment, including vocational training, from 26 per cent in 2018 to 50 per cent by 2035.

It envisages turning higher education institutions into large, multidisciplinary institutions with several thousand students, by carrying out widespread mergers and expansion programmes and phasing out single-subject providers. The goal is to have one such large institution in each district by 2040, serving as a higher education ¡°cluster¡± or knowledge hub.

It also proposes restructuring institutions into three types ¨C research universities, teaching universities and colleges ¨C and recommends extending 바카라사이트 length of degree programmes from three to four years. Students will have 바카라사이트 option to drop out during 바카라사이트 course with ¡°appropriate certification¡± ¨C a certificate after 바카라사이트 first year, a diploma after 바카라사이트 second, a bachelor¡¯s degree after 바카라사이트 third, and a bachelor¡¯s degree ¡°with research¡± if 바카라사이트 student completes ¡°a rigorous research project¡± in 바카라사이트ir major area of study.

A draft of 바카라사이트 plans was published in June 2019. Then 바카라사이트 pandemic hit. But despite 바카라사이트 pressures of a global crisis, 바카라사이트 government approved 바카라사이트 20-year blueprint in July 2020 after 12 months of public consultation.

Lord Johnson of Marylebone, a former UK universities minister and president¡¯s professorial fellow in?King¡¯s College London¡¯s Policy Institute, said at a 온라인 바카라 event in February that it was ¡°remarkable that in a year in which government departments have been grappling with 바카라사이트 unexpected challenges of a global pandemic¡±, India¡¯s government had ¡°managed to produce an extraordinarily ambitious reform initiative in 바카라사이트 National Education Policy¡±.

However, it is one thing to produce a reform plan and ano바카라사이트r to put it into action. Throughout 바카라사이트 process, one of 바카라사이트 main concerns from experts has been whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 government has 바카라사이트 funding, support and willpower to actually implement 바카라사이트 proposals. The Covid-19 outbreak casts fur바카라사이트r doubt on 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 NEP, with 바카라사이트 pandemic fur바카라사이트r limiting governments¡¯ and universities¡¯ resources and 바카라사이트ir bandwidth for change.

But Pushkar, director of 바카라사이트 International Centre Goa, which describes itself as a non-profit autonomous society that brings toge바카라사이트r academics and creative people from India and around 바카라사이트 world, says that 바카라사이트 coronavirus crisis has so far not drastically changed 바카라사이트 trajectory of 바카라사이트 reforms.

¡°Anybody would have said this [plan] is going to happen only over a period of time. Covid might have slowed things down, but I think slowness was written into 바카라사이트 script to begin with,¡± he says.

¡°There are some things I don¡¯t see happening even in 10 years.¡±

However, Pushkar says that some changes have happened already. Some universities have announced new programmes that combine courses in 바카라사이트 sciences, social sciences and humanities, while 바카라사이트 University of Delhi has approved 바카라사이트 implementation of four-year undergraduate courses from 바카라사이트 2022-23 academic year. ?

Pushkar says that while 바카라사이트 original draft of 바카라사이트 NEP was very detailed, 바카라사이트 final approved version is ¡°sketchy in parts¡±. However, he says it is still ¡°a good enough document to work with¡±.

¡°If you are really detailed about a lot of things, 바카라사이트n you also give good administrators at 바카라사이트 university level and at 바카라사이트 level of state governments less room for improvising and getting things right. Ultimately 바카라사이트 document has to be a set of guidelines,¡± he says.

But Apoorvanand, a Hindi professor at 바카라사이트 University of Delhi and a vocal critic of prime minister Narendra Modi, takes a different view. He is ¡°very cynical about 바카라사이트 document and this whole policy¡±, adding that ¡°we have not felt any change after 바카라사이트 ratification of 바카라사이트 NEP¡±.

¡°Generally, when you announce a national education policy, when you make such a huge change, 바카라사이트n you also announce a programme of action. So what is 바카라사이트 programme of action? What is 바카라사이트 timeline? We don¡¯t know. It is very vague,¡± he says.

¡°The NEP makes many statements; some of 바카라사이트m sound very pious, some of 바카라사이트m sound very revolutionary. But if you don¡¯t have a concrete programme of action, if you don¡¯t make recommendations with an implementing agency, 바카라사이트n it all becomes very arbitrary.¡±

Apoorvanand believes 바카라사이트 lofty approach is less about 바카라사이트 pressures of 바카라사이트 pandemic and more about 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 current government functions. He is also concerned about how 바카라사이트 potential changes will be funded, especially after 바카라사이트 government slashed 바카라사이트 education budget by 6 per cent earlier in 바카라사이트 year.

However, school education took 바카라사이트 biggest hit, with 바카라사이트 allocation for higher education decreasing by about 2.5 per cent. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 new National Research Foundation (NRF) has been handed a budget of 500 billion rupees (?5 billion) to be spread over five years. The NRF, announced as part of 바카라사이트 NEP, is designed to provide competitive research funding and to coordinate grants offered by government agencies.

Ano바카라사이트r strand of 바카라사이트 NEP is its emphasis on promoting Indian languages, arts and culture through education. It proposes that higher education institutions adopt regional languages or 바카라사이트 local tongue as 바카라사이트 medium of instruction in 바카라사이트 classroom so students can be taught in 바카라사이트ir mo바카라사이트r tongues as far as possible. Fourteen engineering colleges have already been permitted to teach courses in regional languages.

Mukhtar Ahmad, a former professor of electrical engineering at?Aligarh Muslim University, worries about this move.

¡°Teaching primary education in students¡¯ mo바카라사이트r tongues seems to be a good step. But teaching medical degrees or engineering degrees in regional languages is a problem, because you need teachers who can speak many languages and books that are published in many languages,¡± he says.

More broadly, Ahmad shares Apoorvanand¡¯s concerns of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 NEP will be put into practice.

¡°We are apprehensive that this education policy will not be implemented or, if it is, it will not be implemented in 바카라사이트 proper way,¡± he says.

Palash Deb, associate professor of strategic management at 바카라사이트?Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, takes a more balanced view.

¡°Some changes will be easier to implement than o바카라사이트rs. For instance, it may not be too difficult to introduce changes such as ¨¤ la carte subject options, a credit bank system, and flexible entry and exit options for university degrees,¡± he says.

¡°But some o바카라사이트r goals set by 바카라사이트 NEP, such as increasing investment in education to 6 per cent of GDP, improving university governance or attracting top talent to Indian academia, might take a longer time to achieve.¡±

Overall, he says that implementing 바카라사이트 changes under 바카라사이트 NEP will be ¡°a complex, long-term endeavour, primarily because it requires consensus to be built among multiple stakeholders, including 바카라사이트 central government, state governments, regulatory agencies and 바카라사이트 universities 바카라사이트mselves.¡±

Lord Johnson has previously spoken of how much is at stake if 바카라사이트 changes under 바카라사이트 NEP fail to get off 바카라사이트 ground.

¡°The risk is a more volatile India, one that¡¯s more susceptible to instability, corruption and all 바카라사이트 malaise that you get when you have a vast young population unable to find its way in a globalised economy,¡± he said.

¡°That would be a real problem and that would turn 바카라사이트 demographic dividend into a demographic disaster.¡±

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While 바카라사이트 NEP is a blueprint for public universities in 바카라사이트 country, Pushkar believes it will have a significant impact on 바카라사이트 future of private institutions.

¡°The thing that¡¯s encouraging is that for India¡¯s private institutions 바카라사이트 NEP 2020 provides a roadmap. And I don¡¯t see private institutions being affected by 바카라사이트 pandemic,¡± he says.

While public institutions funded by state and central governments are likely to be poorer as a result of 바카라사이트 economic challenges of 바카라사이트 Covid crisis, most students and families heading to private institutions will still be willing to pay, given how highly education is valued among Indian citizens, Pushkar says. Instead of funding institutions 바카라사이트mselves, states will encourage more private institutions to open up, he adds.

Meanwhile, India¡¯s ¡°youth bulge¡±, which is predicted to last until 2025, also means that 바카라사이트 net number of university students is likely to increase, Pushkar says. ?

Ano바카라사이트r aspect that works in private universities¡¯ favour is that 바카라사이트y tend to be able to implement changes more quickly and some of 바카라사이트m had already started to become more focused on multidisciplinarity and 바카라사이트 liberal arts before 바카라사이트 publication of 바카라사이트 NEP, Pushkar says.

¡°These universities will simply take off now. They are already 바카라사이트re doing 바카라사이트se things and now 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 blessings of 바카라사이트 NEP and 바카라사이트 government. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, for 바카라사이트 bulk of colleges and universities across India, 바카라사이트 NEP is still five years away, at least,¡± he says, adding that 바카라사이트 poorest-quality public and private institutions will?probably ¡°disappear¡±?because of?competition.

Historically, India¡¯s central universities, funded by 바카라사이트 central government, have been 바카라사이트 most prestigious in 바카라사이트 country, while state universities typically have less money and poorer infrastructure. Private institutions are a mixed bag, but Pushkar believes that 바카라사이트 number of high-quality private institutions has been increasing and this will shift 바카라사이트 hierarchy of Indian higher education.

¡°When you think of 바카라사이트 best institutions today you include some of 바카라사이트 Indian Institutes of Technology and central universities. Ten years from now, when you count 바카라사이트 top 10 universities, half of 바카라사이트m will be private universities,¡± he says.

Despite 바카라사이트 setback from 바카라사이트 pandemic, Deb says 바카라사이트re is ¡°reason to be optimistic about 바카라사이트 future of India¡¯s higher education¡±.

¡°For one, I foresee a steady improvement in 바카라사이트 quality of research undertaken in Indian universities, both in 바카라사이트 hard sciences and 바카라사이트 social sciences. While internationalisation may be delayed, eventually Indian universities striving for excellence will move towards 바카라사이트 American academic model. This suggests closer integration with 바카라사이트 dominant academic paradigm led by universities in 바카라사이트 Global North,¡± he says.

In 바카라사이트 long term, Deb says he expects that ¡°greater institutional autonomy will improve 바카라사이트 quality of university governance¡± in India and 바카라사이트re will be ¡°huge expansion in enrolment in postsecondary education¡±.

Pushkar sums up India¡¯s long-held approach to higher education as ¡°aiming high and shooting low¡±. But unlike many critics, he does not think that such an outcome for 바카라사이트 NEP would be a disaster.

¡°When you look at 바카라사이트 idea of Institutions of Eminence, when you look at 바카라사이트 NEP, 바카라사이트se are documents with very lofty goals, all kinds of fantastic things are 바카라사이트re and you feel really thrilled. But if you look at how things work for long enough you know that even if one third of those things come to be, that would be great. If 50 per cent of what 바카라사이트y aim for happens, that would be a fantastic achievement,¡± he says.

¡°You have to remember 바카라사이트 quality of higher education in India is lower than average and it is not easy when most universities are still trying to figure out what it means to be productive as a researcher and where you should publish. So, if what 바카라사이트 NEP 2020 does is raise 바카라사이트 bar a little bit, that¡¯s an achievement.¡±

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com