The Cabinet approved the National Education Policy 2020. Some of the major reforms for higher education include provision for common entry/exit norms for all institutions regardless of ownership and target of 50 per cent gross enrolment ratio by 2035. Online courses will be developed in regional languages, virtual labs will be set up and a National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) will be created, said the Government. National mission on basic literacy and basic numeracy will be adopted and all the separations between vocational and academic, and curricular and extra-curricular will also be removed.
Here’s what some leading educationists and industry experts had to say about NEP 2020
Rupamanjari Ghosh, Vice-Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University
“We have been eagerly waiting for this day! The NEP 2020 has the potential to create profound long-term impact, affecting the social and economic fabric of our society — that’s the power of education, particularly given our demography.
The NEP 2020 advocates major reforms in higher education — holistic and multidisciplinary education, flexibility of subject choices and programme durations. This is what we at Shiv Nadar University have been practising and advocating, and NEP 2020 gives new energy to our vision and approach. The concept of a Multidisciplinary Education and Research University (MERU) will find resonance in our young campus. We welcome the creation of the National Research Foundation (NRF), too. I am particularly appreciative of the forward-looking ‘common norm for public and private higher education institutions (HEIs),’ where every institution will be held accountable, in a progressive and fair way.
In the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the emphasis on the use of technology is very well received. Technology enables but it also limits... I strongly believe that technology cannot dictate what happens to the teaching-learning process, instead the pedagogy should lead to our choice of technology -- "technology in the hands of a great teacher can be transformational.” The new Policy also paves the way for a single regulator for the entire HE sector, excluding Legal and Medical... As always, the devil lies in the details, and we will see how to get the NEP 2020 translated to action on ground, true to the spirit of the reforms envisaged to empower the students in the country, to discover and fully develop their unique potentials.”
Jitin Chadha, Director and Founder, ISBF
“The approval of a new education policy, after over three decades, is certainly a welcome development. Given the centrality of education in nation-building, we certainly think this will help focus efforts in future. The NEP draft released by the government earlier talked about various reforms in Indian higher education, and we firmly believe that in higher education, none are as important as providing impetus and a seamless path to forging effective collaborations between Indian institutions and their global counterparts. This will enable us to create the highest possible quality of human capital, which will be a necessary and key differentiator in the post-Covid world where labour markets will become flatter than ever before.”
Akhil Shahani, Managing Director, Shahani Group
"The NEP should have been implemented years ago to enable India's education system to catch up with that of other fast-developing nations in Asia. The focus on light government regulation, multidisciplinary institutions and creating equivalence of vocational and academic streams are welcome, but these have been a part of other countries' education models for years. It would have been good to have some more innovative ideas implemented like recognition of pathway/twinning programmes with foreign universities, permission for for-profit firms to set up schools and colleges, allowing corporate CSR funding for primary research in universities and permitting universities to offer online degrees outside their geographical jurisdiction. As education is a state subject, it is important for the Central government to create a mechanism to ensure each State implements these new policies effectively."
Sharad Mehra, CEO -Asia Pacific, Global University Systems
The NEP is a transformative step in the right direction on a number of fronts. The concept of the Centre and States collaborating to increase the public investment in the education sector to reach six per cent of GDP is a welcome move. NEP has an inclusive and balanced outlook which gives emphasis to arts, culture, creative, STEM courses, in addition to blended, multi-disciplinary and immersive learning as well as augmenting digital learning. The policy has a sharp global outlook with an emphasis on 360 degree learning, advancing life skills and focusing on talent generation. This will give students more exposure to best global practices in education and enrich their learning experience. The move of renaming Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) as Ministry of Education, is an intrinsic part of human development which is progressive and laudable.”