Page 51 - Education World September 2021

autonomous verticals and HECI itself to establish JGU and transforming it
will be headed by highly-reputed inde- into a genuinely world-class law and
pendent academics. liberal arts institution in record time.
“Certainly for restructuring and Yet the moot point is whether Prad-
upgrading India’s higher education han or the top leadership of the BJP,
system, NEP makes overdue and ex- i.e, prime minister Modi and Union
cellent proposals. But it is essentially home minister Amit Shah, place a
a policy document which requires de- premium on expert advice, especially
liberated and detailed implementa- on education reform which is low on
tion. After careful study of the policy the BJP agenda. Thus far, none of the
document, I have articulated five ini- three Union education ministers ap-
tiatives to implement NEP 2020 to pointed by the BJP/NDA government
totally transform higher education, which was voted to power in 2014 with
on several forums. First, the prime great expectations, has done anything
minister who has spoken about the notable to reform and upgrade the
transformative potential of NEP 2020 country’s education system that has
should establish a Prime Minister’s failed the world’s largest children and
Advisory Council (PMAC) as the youth population.
nodal agency to coordinate with all in- Raj Kumar: detailed implementation call On the contrary over the past seven
stitutions to ensure successful imple- years, the BJP leadership unduly in-
mentation of NEP. Secondly, there’s chitecture that will tick all the boxes fluenced by regressive RSS intellectu-
need for an Education Minister’s to ensure comprehensive execution of als, has reduced the Centre’s annual
Steering Committee chaired by the well-conceptualised vision of NEP outlay for education (as a percentage
the Union education minister to work 2020,” says Dr. C. Raj Kumar, the of GDP); recklessly appointed ideo-
continuously with all stakeholders to erudite founding vice chancellor of logically aligned but under-qualified
identify and remove policy implemen- the O.P. Jindal Global University, So- academics to leadership positions in
tation hurdles and bottlenecks. Third, nipat, Delhi NCR (JGU, estb.2009). universities; wasted considerable time
because the success of NEP 2020 de- in re-writing history and spreading
pends upon implementation of policy EWLY INDUCTED UNION communal discord on college cam-
proposals in the states, I recommend N education minister Dhar- puses.
a National Higher Education mendra Pradhan would Moreover, instead of concentrating
Ministers’ Council (NHEMC) be well-advised to pay on improving learning outcomes in
comprising the education ministers of heed to the carefully researched ad- the country’s 1.20 million government
all states, chaired by the Union min- vice of Dr. Raj Kumar because within schools, the education ministry at the
ister of education with the education a decade after JGU was promoted, Centre has stood idly by as populist
secretary at the Centre as member- as founding VC, he has nurtured and BJP governments in the states (UP,
secretary. developed this private university with Gujarat, Karnataka, MP) have rashly
“Moreover, an Empowered an aggregate enrolment of 6,650 stu- enacted legislation to cap and regulate
Standing Committee on Legal dents into a globally respected higher private school fees and denied them
and Regulatory Reforms for education institution which has won pandemic-related relief.
Implementation of NEP (ESC) global encomiums for its contempo- Is Dharmendra Pradhan, the new
chaired by the Union education sec- rary syllabuses, world-class faculty media averse incumbent of Shastri
retary is necessary to translate the and excellent learning outcomes. Bhavan, Delhi with his history of links
vision, aims and objectives of NEP The London-based Quacquarelli with ABVP/RSS — institutions hostile
2020. It should be empowered to Symonds (QS) ranks JGU India’s to modernisation ideals — capable of
propose legal and regulatory reforms #1 private university and among the meeting the twin challenges of repair-
across the education sector to imple- Top 350 worldwide; EducationWorld ing the damage inflicted upon In-
ment the NEP. And lastly, I recom- ranks it among the Top 3 private uni- dia’s education system by the longest
mend a Vice-Chancellors’ Work- versities countrywide and the Central campuses lockdown worldwide, and
ing Group (VCWG), chaired by government has conferred Institute implementing NEP 2020 by resisting
the UGC chairman with selected vice of Eminence status upon JGU. An RSS and party pressure to appoint
chancellors/directors to flag and iron alum of Delhi, Oxford and Harvard sangh parivar faithfuls to the numer-
out policy implementation wrinkles at universities, Dr. Raj Kumar taught in ous regulatory councils and commis-
the institutional level. These measures top-ranked universities in the US and sions mandated by NEP 2020? The
will ensure the creation of a robust ar- Hong Kong before returning to India auguries are not good.

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