How to Make NEP 2020 Work

The Indian Express     14th October 2020     Save    

Context: Policy, regulatory and institutional mechanisms and participation of stakeholders, will be needed to ensure fruitful implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP).

Four contributors to the policy failure: as identified by Bob Hudson, David Hunter and Stephen Peckham. 

  • Overly optimistic expectations.
  • Implementation in dispersed governance.
  • Inadequate collaborative policymaking.
  • Vagaries of the political cycle.

Five-point implementation plan to help implement NEP 

  • Build intellectual and social capital through institutional mechanism :
  • Ensure coordination and cooperation between the Centre and states, developing collective consciousness in achieving the targets of NEP.
  • The PM’s Task Force on Higher Education Reforms can be an advisory body comprising experts from the public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to ensure time-bound implementation with fixed accountability. 
  • Establishing a National NEP Implementation Standing Committee for creating and monitoring the NEP Implementation Plan in a time-bound manner. 
  • Constitute the National Education Ministers’ Council with Education Ministers of all states and UTs, chaired by the Union Minister for Education.
      • The Council will be an important institutional mechanism to monitor the implementation of NEP in states and Union Territories (UTs) and will act as a forum for discussions.
  • Integrate the vision of Institutions of Eminence (IoE) with the NEP: by empowering the IoEs with more freedom, autonomy and resources.
  • Constitute the National Higher Education Philanthropic Council:  
  • It will help in raising funds for the HEI since nearly 70% of them are private and lack resources.
  • Employ innovative institutional mechanism: like tax incentives, endowment frameworks and other incentives to encourage corporate sector funding. Following funds can be created - 
  • Higher Education Infrastructure Development Endowment Fund, Higher Education Student Scholarship Endowment Fund, Higher Education Research Grants Endowment Fund.

Elements for successful implementation of any Policy: which can be utilized in context on NEP - 

  • Incentives: Create stakeholder incentives
  • Instruments: Formulate instruments in the form of legal, policy, regulatory and institutional mechanisms.
  • Information: Build reliable information repositories.
  • Adaptability: Develop adaptability across HEIs, regulatory bodies and government agencies.
  • Credibility: Develop credibility through transparent actions and participation of all stakeholders.
  • Management: Develop sound principles of management.
Conclusion: The National Education Policy 2020 has the vision to transform the Indian education landscape, and it relies on a significant commitment for policy implementation from all stakeholders.