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Cover Story

holders and others “arising out of in-
formation placed in the public domain
shall be adjudicated by NHERC”. This
provision (para 18.3) will open the
gates for thousands of unemployed
busybodies to file complaints about
financial probity, personnel griev-
ances and good governance against
HEIs, particularly private colleges and
universities. HEIs should budget for
spending considerable time and mon-
ey arguing their cases before NHERC
forums.
T HE SECOND VERTICAL

decreed is the National Ac-
creditation Council (NAC)
— “a meta-accrediting Pokhriyal: “transformational reforms” Kasturirangan: substantial acceptance
body to certify HEIs “primarily on
basic norms, public self-disclosure, for all study programmes offered by (SCERT) which will be “reinvigorated”
good governance and outcomes”. This higher education institutions. Among (para 8.5).
council will create “an independent the mandates of GEC: to formulate Prudently, a proposal of the KR
ecosystem of accrediting institutions a National Higher Education Skills Committee to appoint an Educa-
supervised and overseen by NAC” so Framework (NHEQF) which should tion Commission at the Centre with
that a robust system of graded ac- be in sync with the National Skills the prime minister as chairman and
creditation shall be established. For Qualification Framework (NSQF) to Union HRD/education minister as
the convenience of these accrediting “ease the integration of vocational vice chairman and similar apex Ra-
institutions, all HEIs are required to education into higher education”. jya Shiksha Aayog or State Education
draw up detailed IDPs (institutional Similarly for school education, Commissions with the chief minister
development plans) “to attain the NEP 2020 recommends a regulatory as chairman and education minister as
highest level of accreditation over the structure headed by a Department of vice chairman, has been dropped. This
next 15 years”, says the NEP 2020 Education in all states and Union ter- recommendation, if accepted, could
policy document (para 18.4). ritories for “overall monitoring and have resulted in the politicisation of
The third vertical under HECI is policymaking for continual improve- education which is surely worse than
the Higher Education Grants Coun- ment of the public education system”. the commercialisation of education
cil (HEGC) which takes over the Operations and policy implementa- which is anathema to the KR Commit-
funding function of the University tion falls within the purview of the tee and NEP 2020. But given the well-
Grants Commission (UGC). Allocated Directorate of School Education, while known anxiety of the RSS which has
Rs.4,693 crore in the Union budget an independent State School Stan- promoted and manages 17,000 Shishu
2020-21, UGC subsidised Central dards Authority (SSSA) will set stan- Mandir schools across the country to
government universities and occa- dards for basic parameters (safety, influence, if not shape Indian educa-
sionally funded specific projects of security, basic infrastructure, teacher tion, one can’t rule out the prime min-
state government universities. Under adequacy, financial probity and sound ister chairing HECI.
the new policy, HEGC will “carry out processes of governance) (para 8.5). Commendably, deep and heavy
funding and financing of higher edu- All schools are obliged to make contemplation has been invested by
cation based on transparent criteria”, full disclosure of information as per members of the Kasturirangan Com-
and also disburse “scholarships and the (no doubt elaborate) format pre- mittee which designed the architec-
developmental funds for launching scribed by SSSA on their websites with ture of the “independent” regulatory
new focus areas and expanding quality SSSA empowered to adjudicate “any institutions for governance and su-
programme offerings at HEIs across complaints or grievances” arising out pervision of the preschool-class XII
disciplines and fields”. of the information so posted. Academ- and higher education sectors. Yet
And the fourth vertical is the ic matters “including academic stan- this presumption — unchallenged by
General Education Council (GEC), dards and curricula in every state will the army of academics, K-12 educa-
established to set learning outcome be supervised by existing State Coun- tors and media pundits — that Indian
benchmarks aka “graduate attributes” cils of Education Research & Training education needs greater government

42 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2020