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The New Education Policy(NEP) recently adapted by the union cabinet has several proposals that shall have far reaching implications for India’s higher education. Higher education landscape in India is marked by diversity and riddled with humongous inequalities in terms of infrastructure, both physical and human, quality of teaching learning processes etc.
Superimposing a centralized policy dispensation on an iniquitous education system can prove to be chaotic.
The NEP proposes to set up an all powerful Higher Education Commission of India(HECI) that shall be entrusted with the responsibility of regulating almost all streams of higher education. Keeping the future of higher education trajectory in few individuals would be disastrous.
The NEP rightly aims at expanding the gross enrolment ratio(GER) from present 26 percent to 50 percent by 2035. But, heavy reliance on open distance learning(ODL) and Online education to accomplish this goal may end up in creating one of the most iniquitous system where in rich would have quality formal education, while the poor and underprivileged will be condemned to online/distance mode.
This is not to undermine the importance of such a mode of education. But, online/distance education can only supplement but not supplant formal stream of higher education.
The NEP calls for creating multidisciplinary universities and higher education clusters and promotes the integration of arts and humanities with STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses. Such an approach to learning will certainly have positive outcomes. But, establishment of large clusters should not reduce the access of higher education to India’s hinterland.
The NEP proposes to introduce a four year degree course with multiple exit options. Such an approach may look attractive, but, it adversely affects the integrity of course work. It can even increase the college dropouts. Instead, courses with varied durations are advisable. Increasing the duration of all undergraduate courses to four years will burden every student, though it can be beneficial to those aspiring for international education.
The NEP proposes to allow top hundred universities of the world to set up campuses in India. But a caution is required here. The joint document of the World Bank and UNSECO (The Task Force, 2000) reported “There are prestigious universities from developed nations offering shabby courses in poor and developing countries, using their renowned names, without assuring equivalent quality.” The great universities of North America and Europe have earned their reputation by building upon their rich intellectual legacy over 100 to 150 years. It would be naive to assume that this inherent epistemic legacy can be just mechanically transposed to their Indian campuses.
Of course, the NEP says that access should be provided to everyone so desires. But, the policy wants to promote public philanthropic partnership, an euphemism for discredited public private partnership. The PPP in India is largely synonymous with private appropriation of public resources. Finally, the NEP recommends doing away with the affiliation system and accord autonym to the colleges. But, such an autonomy should not result in a license for profiteering by the market forces.
By — Prof K Nageshwar
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