Page 36 - EW July 2022

Cover Story

BJP ministers at the Centre and in temporise India’s critically important
the states to engage with media — higher education system”. In particu-
and EducationWorld in particular — lar, he welcomes the policy’s mandate
a detailed feature published in Edu- to abolish the affiliation system un-
cationWorld early this year, which der which a large number of under-
contended that the heavens won’t grad colleges — often 600-700 — are
fall if 2021-22 was declared a zero governed by one university; awarding
academic year (see https://www.edu- progressive autonomy to undergrad
cationworld.in/declare-2021-22-ze- colleges to evolve into full-fledged
ro-academic-year/), was also totally multi-disciplinary universities in their
ignored by Central and state govern- own right; improved governance sys-
ments and the middle class establish- tems prescribed for all education in-
ment. While a small minority of the stitutions across the spectrum, and
country’s 450,000 private schools establishment of “a superior R&D
were able to somewhat continue their (research and development) ecosys-
children’s education through digital tem” through a well-funded National
technologies enabled online classes, Research Foundation (NRF).
the overwhelming majority of 131 mil- Dr. Natarajan: implementation misgivings However, Dr. Natarajan entertains
lion children in 1.10 million (mainly grave misgivings about the implemen-
state) government schools have suf- level playing field for private schools, tation of NEP 2020. “For a start, the
fered enormous learning loss which colleges and universities which host time frame of 15 years to completely
has endangered their future educa- the majority of India’s 300 million restructure the higher education sys-
tion and ultimately, workplace pro- children and youth, education profes- tem is highly unrealistic. Structural
ductivity, with grave implications for sionals with decades of experience are changes such as integrating the Uni-
the already low productivity Indian sceptical about government willing- versity Grants Commission (UGC) and
economy. ness to dilute control and command AICTE into a composite HECI (Higher
of the education system. There is also
N EVERTHELESS, DESPITE pervasive scepticism about the capa- begun — whether this is desirable is
Education Council of India) have just
another matter. Likewise, the integra-
these untied loose ends
bility of the neta-babu brotherhood
and unresolved issues,
Union education minister which will continue to guide and tion of NAAC (National Accreditation
and Assessment Council) and NBA
shape the rejuvenated education sys-
Dharmendra Pradhan doesn’t seem to tem envisioned by the somewhat naive (National Board of Accreditation un-
be bothered. Despite a rain of email report of the Kasturirangan Commit- der AICTE) into the National Academ-
messages and telephone calls request- tee which has inspired NEP 2020. ic Council (NAC) has also not begun.
ing him to respond to an innocuous Dr. Ramamurthy Natarajan, Neither has NRF been established.
bona fide questionnaire soliciting former director of the blue-chip IIT- Nor has the issue of granting greater
his opinion on a range of important Madras and former chairman of the autonomy to colleges and universities
issues (see box p. 44), Pradhan ob- All India Council for Technical Edu- been addressed as yet. Moreover suf-
stinately refused to respond. All that cation (AICTE), the apex organisation ficient meaningful discussions have
your editors received were bland which supervises all technical and not been held with senior academ-
acknowledgments of our email mes- business management higher educa- ics on the efficacy and desirability of
sages. According to reports emanating tion countrywide, is of the opinion major changes recommended in NEP
from Shastri Bhavan, Delhi, Pradhan that NEP 2020 has “the potential to 2020. Setting targets is not enough.
is sanguine that the system upgrada- introduce several long-pending re- Devising implementation strategies,
tion and policy initiatives prescribed forms required to upgrade and con- setting timelines, milestones are also
by NEP 2020 are in process of smooth necessary. For implementation of the
implementation. “The large number of policy, well-qualified academics to
Knowledgeable monitors of India’s man the large number of supervisory
education system tightly controlled supervisory and regulatory and regulatory committees have to
by the Central, state and even local committees have to be be appointed quickly and the policy
governments, are less optimistic. Al- has to be backed by serious political
though NEP 2020 prescribes elabo- quickly constituted and the commitment which is not currently
rate architecture to separate the op- policy backed by serious evident,” says Natarajan.
erational, assessment and regulatory political commitment.” A deficit of official information on
powers of government to ensure a ways and means to invest substance

36 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2022