New Education Policy 2020 Highlights: Key takeaways for higher education

The aim of New Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% to 50% by 2035. The New Education Policy is set to bring a slew of major changes including allowing top foreign universities to set up campuses to India, a greater proportion of students getting vocational education and a move towards institutes including IITs turning multi-disciplinary.

The policy aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower”. One of the stated aims of the policy is to instil a “deep-rooted pride” in being Indian, not only in thought, but also in spirit, intellect, and deeds, as well as to develop knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions that support responsible commitment to human rights, sustainable development and living, and global well-being. The policy also aims at “light but tight” regulation by a single regulator for higher education as well as o increased access, equity, and inclusion.

The NEP lays down that by 2040, all higher education institutions (HEIs) shall aim to become multidisciplinary institutions, each of which will aim to have 3,000 or more students. There shall, by 2030, be at least one large multidisciplinary institution in or near every district. The aim will be to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% to 50% by 2035. Single-stream higher education
institutions will be phased out over time, and all will move towards becoming multidisciplinary. The system of ‘affiliated colleges’ will be gradually phased out in 15 years.

The present complex nomenclature of HEIs in the country such as ‘deemed to be University’, ‘Affiliating University’, ‘Affiliating Technical University’, and ‘Unitary University’ shall be replaced simply by ‘University’. A University will mean a multidisciplinary institution that offers undergraduate and graduate programmes, with high quality teaching, research, and community engagement. The definition will allow a spectrum of institutions ranging from those that place equal emphasis on teaching and research i.e., Research-intensive Universities to teaching-intensive Universities.

One of the paradigmatic shift will be the setting up of the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) for the entire higher education segment. The HECI will be act as a single regulator and several functions, including accreditation, funding and academic standard setting, will be carried out by independent verticals. These entities will be eventually replace other regulatory bodies like the University Grant Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Key impact areas:

1. Quality Universities and colleges through large scale consolidation
2. A higher education system that is accessible and inclusive
3. A quality and well incentivised faculty at the core of higher education transformation
4. Promoting excellence through internationalisation
5. Accountability and transparency as levers for improved governance
   • The undergraduate degree will be of either 3 or 4-year duration, with multiple exit options. For instance a certificate after completing 1 year in a discipline or field including vocational and professional areas, or a diploma after 2 years of study, or a Bachelor’s degree after a 3-year programme. The 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programme, however, shall be the preferred option.
   • Even engineering institutions, such as IITs, will move towards more holistic and multidisciplinary education with more arts and humanities. Students of arts and humanities will aim to learn more science.
   • Departments in Languages, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Indology, Art, Dance, Theatre, Education, Mathematics, Statistics, Pure and Applied Sciences, Sociology, Economics, Sports, Translation and Interpretation, etc. will be established and strengthened at all HEIs.
   • An Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) shall be established which would digitally store the academic credits earned.
   • The 4-year programme may also lead to a degree ‘with Research’ if the student completes a rigorous research project.
   • Model public universities for holistic and multidisciplinary education, at par with IITs, IIMs, etc., called MERUs (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities) will be set up.
   • Higher education institutions shall move away from high-stakes examinations towards continuous and comprehensive evaluation.
   • Flexible curricular structure that will offer multi point entry and exit points to create new possibilities for lifelong learning.
   • Career progression pathways for faculty based on teaching, research and service for faculty and institutional leadership.
   • India will be promoted as a global study destination providing premium education at affordable costs. An International Students Office at each institution hosting foreign students will be set up.
   • High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries. Selected universities like those from among the top 100 universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India.
   • A legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India.
   • In every education institution, there shall be counselling systems for handling stress and emotional adjustments.
   • Vocational education will be integrated into all school and higher education institutions in a phased manner over the next decade. By 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education.
   • The B.Voc. Degrees introduced in 2013 will continue to exist, but vocational courses will also be available to students enrolled in all other Bachelor’s degree programmes, including the 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programmes.
   • ‘Lok Vidya’, i.e., important vocational knowledge developed in India, will be made accessible to students. The HRD ministry, which could be renamed education ministry, would constitute a National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education (NCIVE).
   • The policy also speaks for creating a National Research Foundation (NRF) to coordinate research funding and direct it to outstanding peer-reviewed research.
   • The policy also mentions the creation of a Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).

Policy also explains in details about opportunities and key considerations for stake holders namely State Governments, HEIs, faculty, students, industry and other service providers.

References:

1. National Education Policy 2020, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government
   of India.
2. KPMG report: Impact of National Education Policy 2020 and opportunities for stakeholders, August 2020.
3. New Education Policy 2020 Highlights: Key takeaways of NEP to make India a ‘global knowledge superpower’, Hindustan Times.