NEP 2020: Challenges before the Institutions of Higher Learning
With the approval of the New Education Policy 2020 by the Union Cabinet in July 2021, the process of its implementation got started in most of the states of the country. While the policy document has spelt out a number of changes to be brought about in the education sector, one of the major aims is to restructure the education system at all levels with greater emphasis on adapting a holistic approach in education in all sectors envisaging a multidisciplinary, integrative approach giving away the conventional boundaries among different streams like arts, science and commerce. It is said that by 2030 all higher educational institutions will become multidisciplinary institutions and at least one such institution will be established in every district of the country. There will be greater flexibility in choice of subjects or disciplines for any student and there will be multiple points of entry or exit, particularly at the graduation level. Even the IITs will follow a more holistic approach and offer multidisciplinary education including more subjects related to arts and humanities within its fold.
Although this approach is quite new to our country, flexibility in choice of subjects across disciplines is available in the curricula of many western universities since long. In fact, this was a long felt need in our country too and adaption of this policy will certainly help the students to pursue learning of their choice beyond the traditional boundaries of streams/disciplines that will strengthen their knowledge and skill, and of course, may also enhance their employability or future career prospects. Many a times we see that a student pursuing a professional curriculum develops interest in some areas or disciplines not related to their professional degree and finally at the end of the day, either leaves his/her degree course half-way through or after passing out chooses to pursue some other course of his/her choice unnecessarily wasting valuable years of his/her life. A number of my own students have established themselves in their professional career in certain areas/disciplines (like business, journalism, banking, law etc.) no way related to their professional education. Therefore, availability of a flexible curriculum and simultaneous access to diverse courses in his/her own institution will provide such a student an opportunity to decide about his/her future career earlier and capability of pursuing something of his/her choice.
However, the biggest challenge will be faced by the institutions of higher learning offering professional education like medical, engineering, veterinary, agriculture etc. in respect to how to accommodate such a flexibility in the curricula so as to provide opportunities to the students to simultaneously pursue other subjects of their choice in addition to the vast and stringent curricula of professional education. It would also be difficult to cater to the need of every student as per their choice, as the choices may be diverse but the institution will not be able to offer such diverse courses for want of available infrastructure and manpower. In view of this, the following steps may be initiated by the universities/institutions of higher learning to find a solution to this problem:
1. There may be greater cooperation and collaboration among the universities/institutions (particularly those located in close proximity) for sharing of resources and manpower.
2. Allowing access to students across universities/institutions for courses offered based on MoUs signed between them.
3. Strengthening online teaching/learning programmes for all courses offered for facilitating access to students outside a university/institution.
4. Offering add-on certificate/diploma courses of 6 months to 1 year duration on selected popular subjects/disciplines simultaneously with the usual curricular education against a nominal fee.
5. Restructuring of professional course curricula with an aim to make it more comprehensive, skill oriented and student-centric avoiding all possible redundancies/duplications.
