New Education Policy: What next?

With the recent announcement of the 'New Education Policy’ (NEP) the process of much-awaited revamping comes to an end. My impulsive response to this was --what next especially for higher education? Surely, the NEP will become operational very soon. There will be implementation hurdles and hiccups; overcoming these necessitates careful planning and execution. Here, I focus on higher education, the domain with which I am associated for nearly 50 years in various capacities.

The most pertinent question is how to realize the perceived goals of the NEP and ensure building human resource of global competence, national character and worthy men of honesty and integrity? Without going into the minute details of the policy (and school education) let me focus on the core issues that need attention to make the NEP truly path-breaking or serve as a game-changer. When higher education improves, school education will also improve. I propose five major thoughts (shown below) that can play a pivotal role in accomplishing the set goals of the NEP.

First and foremost, the education system should not be controlled or regulated by politicians and bureaucrats. It should be left in the hands of eminent educationists with a proven track record, competency and credibility. World-class universities and colleges can not be built with indigent leadership and mediocre faculty. Likewise, the State Higher Education Councils should be left to highly accomplished and competent educationists to manage their affairs. The politicians must willingly and gladly opt to stay away from controlling the routine management of education as a whole if we have to march towards a modern India and empower it to withstand and sustain diverse global challenges confronting the nation.

The authorities like the UGC/AICTE etc, must be delinked gradually in a phased manner from control and regulation of varsities; these bodies should then focus on providing leadership to the educational institutions with brilliant minds, and making recommendations from time to time for consideration of the institutions. By and large, Universities and colleges must be allowed to enjoy total autonomy to manage their affairs. It is noteworthy that most advanced countries of Europe or America also do not have regulatory bodies like the UGC/AICTE to control colleges or universities.

Institutions should be motivated to impart holistic education involving total human development, inculcation of ideals, morals, sense of patriotism and pride in national heritage, culture and ethos. Often, people, even scholars mistake cultures for religion. In short, the focus of education managers should be total curriculum development and not on mere completion of syllabus. The educational institutions, regulatory authorities and the state and Central governments must proactively promote and make honest efforts to create much needed academic ambience and, cross-cultural hybridization in the appointment of faculty and admission of students from different parts of India as much as possible. Premier institutions can not be built by inbreeding.

Lastly, the most important aspect pertains to the appointment of (Principals and Vice-Chancellors) as worthy persons alone can provide good governance as well as leadership to higher education institutions, the colleges and universities. Because of their complementary nature, governance and leadership are the ‘Yin &Yang’ of successful organisations. Governance without leadership often leads to atrophy, bureaucracy and indifference. Leadership without governance often results in tyranny, fraud & personal fiefdoms. The NEP has generated an enormous amount of hope and scope for total revamping of our education system. Let us seize this opportunity and implement the recommendations fully. With this fond hope in my heart and soul I have proposed the above thoughts for consideration of the education managers and policy-makers in the State and the nation.

(The writer is a former Vice-Chancellor, Karnatak University, a scientist, educationist, administrator and a writer)