Click here for higher education in Africa
The NEP and its plan
Followed by twelve months of public consultation, The Indian National Education Policy (NEP) set out a plan which foresees the collaboration between Indian and foreign universities; the program lasts for about twenty years and aims to improve higher education in the country.
The plan is about turning all the higher education institutions into larger institutions embracing several areas of study and disciplines. The goal should be accomplished via expansion programs and the aim is to gradually remove single subject providers.
The division of colleges
These multidisciplinary institutions should be attended by several thousands of students and the ultimate goal is to have one of these institutions in each district by 2040. Moreover, according to NEP these institutions should be divided in the following three major categories: colleges, teaching universities, and research universities.
All this includes the facilitations provided by NEP and given to world’s top 100 universities operating in India. The latter idea has been programmed about a decade before but in the 2010s top global universities did not seem to be willing to move to India.
The plan also foresees a structural reform and funding of research through the formation of a new independent National Research Foundation. Also, the Higher Education Commission of India will be established, and it will be dealing with regulations, funding, accreditation and graduate skills.
The doubts about the plan
Even if NEP seems to be able to handle difficult situations in a professional way. Their aim is to double the already existing infrastructure and to guarantee more places in universities and colleges. The latter is undoubtedly going to give its effort not only for the country’s economic growth but also for social equality, aspiration, and individual choice – just to name a few.
The attempt by the Indian government to address the major issue in India’s higher education system which is, undoubtedly its fragmentation, is in every means positive. India has a lot of private higher education institutes with just a few students, and this has not helped the nation’s overall scenario of higher education.
Even if the Indian government is planning to increase its expenditures on public education from 4.3 to 6 percent of gross domestic product, observers still are not sure how or whether India will achieve its goal by 2040.
Changes take time
Most observers have faith in NEP but think that this kind of rapid changes need time and that they do not happen overnight. In fact, one of the biggest challenges is to grow and enlarge the sector while making the participation accessible and affording high-quality university experience.
While, as long as the top 100 universities operating on Indian soil is regarded, the policies have not been entirely established yet. It has been a matter of concern but the government still has to regalement the thing.
ASOMI College of Sciences is constantly updated on higher education in the international field and, why not, it may even expand to India one day.
