Implementation Of New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 In India: Some Issues And Challenges In The Perspective Of Higher Education System

Abstract

Indian higher education has long been hindered by excessive regulation. This  regulation has been in the form of stringent curricular and organisational rules. Therefore the presence of private universities is almost negligible. Moreover, the existing set up of higher education in India is further marked by cramming, high-stake exams, early specialisation etc. The NEP-2020 has a quality of an overall transformation of the present higher education system. This reform brings the much needed hope in Indian higher education. After seventy-five years of independence, India is finally moving beyond the legacy of colonial rule and the subsequent regulatory constraints. Actually, the NEP-2020 is theoretically based on the National Policy on Education framed in 1986 which was amended in 1992.  The NEP-2020 is a fundamental overhaul of the education system rather than incremental recommendations. The NEP-2020 is more inclusive. It would accommodate a larger number of students coming from diverse communities of India. The principal beneficiaries of this expansion is the youth population. At organisational level the NEP-2020 will push for institutional flexibility, deregulation, liberal education, and last but not the least an increased autonomy. As we shall see in the course of this research paper, opinions on the policy are mixed; some see it as a beneficial overhaul, while others believe it merely formalises practices already in place. For NEP-2020 to effect significant change and overcome the various challenges obstructing its implementation, there must be substantial academic, logistical and economic support  from all segments of the society. The present research paper highlights some issues and challenges in the implementation of NEP-2020, in the larger perspective of the Indian higher education system.