Page 44 - EW August 2025

Cover Story

proved on July 29, in two full-length
cover stories in EducationWorld your
editors highlighted a major contra-
diction in the K’Rangan report which
was incorporated into NEP 2020.
(See https://educationworld.in/ew-
july-2019-2/, https://educationworld.
in/ew-august-2020/).
On the one hand, the policy man-
dates establishment of a large num-
ber of committees and commissions
— HECI, NHERC, GEC, HEGC for
higher education and SSSA for school
education — to supervise and regu-
late education from early childhood
to postgraduate education. On the
other hand, NEP 2020 also mandates
“gradual” conferment of autonomy Dr. Kasturirangan, RIP: 484-page draft Singai: not legal document
upon all institutions of higher educa-
tion, to transform into autonomous College — a long-standing demand of time. I believe that NEP 2020 has
universities. the college repeatedly ranked India’s done an excellent job of generating
The outcome of the education #1 non-autonomous arts, science and awareness and momentum for com-
ministry turning a blind eye to this commerce undergrad college by Edu- prehensive reform across the edu-
contradiction highlighted by Educa- cationWorld — remains in a limbo. cation spectrum from pre-primary
tionWorld, is that five years on, most This drift is arousing anger, im- to higher education. For instance,
of the alphabet soup of committees patience and indignation within sen- concepts such as multi-disciplinary
mandated by the Kasturirangan Com- tient academics in higher education. education and the academic credits
mittee and faithfully incorporated into In a scathing op-edit written for the framework which for the first time
NEP 2020, have yet to be constituted Chennai-based daily The Hindu (May enables multiple entry and exits in
— perhaps because the good doctor 14), Bengaluru-based professors Gau- higher education have forcefully im-
directed that all appointees should tam Desiraju and Mirle Surappa pacted educators. Greater political
be academics of “unimpeachable in- of the Indian Institute of Science and will and higher budget allocations
tegrity”. Simultaneously, there’s been National Institute of Advanced Stud- are required to implement NEP 2020
little, if any progress in the direction ies respectively, lament the stasis in in letter and spirit. Moreover, there’s
of conferring autonomy upon HEIs Indian education five years after NEP urgent need to accelerate grant of au-
(higher education institutions) by the 2020 was promulgated and greeted tonomy to high performing HEIs to
apex level UGC (University Grants with loud hosannas. fast-forward reforms. Hopefully, on
Commission). “India’s overall graduate employ- the occasion of the NEP 2020’s fifth
For instance in early January, UGC ment rate is 42.6 percent, which is anniversary, the government will
released its UGC (Minimum Qualifi- practically the same as 44.3 percent in make greater budgetary provision to
cations for Appointment and Promo- 2023… NEP 2020 is outdated and fi- implement the liberal provisions of
tion of Teachers and Academic Staff nancially unviable in the India of 2025. NEP 2020,” says Dr. Chetan Sin-
in Universities and Colleges and Mea- With lip service paid to new ideas such gai, former Chief Consultant, Techni-
sures for the Maintenance of Stan- as Indian knowledge systems, mother cal Secretariat of the Union education
dards in Higher Education) Regula- tongue learning, changing history ministry, that has quickly drawn up
tions 2025. Under this directive vice textbooks, flexible curricula (there is) the National Curriculum Frameworks
chancellors of the country’s 520 state a complete absence of methodology to for foundational and school education
government-funded universities will effect its recommendations. NEP is a which have been widely acclaimed.
be appointed by search committees dead fish in the water,” they wrote. Currently, Singai is Dean of Law and
constituted by the state Governor, Other educationists tend to be Governance at the new-genre private
a political appointee of the Central more indulgent. “NEP 2020 is a vi- Chanakya University, Bengaluru.
government. This has provoked a sion policy, not a legal document. Its In the pages following, we provide
huge outcry in states ruled by oppo- implementation requires the Cen- a progress report of NEP 2020 and
sition parties. Meanwhile the issue of tre and states to enact legislation to its impact on early childhood, school,
awarding autonomy to St. Stephen’s implement its mandates. This takes skills and higher education.

44 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2025