By H. Srikanth
Common University Entrance Test (CUET) is only one of the several measures that the central government is planning to steamroll as part of the New Education Policy 2020. NEP has the approval of the Central Cabinet. But for reasons not known, it is not placed for threadbare discussion in the Parliament. Thanks to the media coverage and the thousands of official and academic workshops, people have developed some vague idea about the policy. However, the details of the policy, its need, feasibility and likely impact are not clear to most of them. Not sure whether the key members who are part of the committees in charge of implementing the policy in the state government, university and college levels have better knowledge of NEP, or they also just rely on the media reports. Of late we are witness to the anxiety and confusions around CUET which finally compelled the state government to seek exemption from the Centre. If we expect that such a situation should not repeat, it is necessary that all stakeholders–NEHU, state government, colleges, communities, parents and students–have a fair idea of the agenda of NEP, 2020, and have a realistic understanding of what could be implemented in the state of Meghalaya.
Before one owns or rejects the policy, it is necessary to understand what changes the NEP seeks to initiate. NEP 2020 seeks to overhaul the entire education system from pre-primary school to doctoral program. It seeks to introduce major changes in the curricula, syllabi, teaching methods, research focus, and administration of institutions of higher education (HEIs). The NEP aims to increase the General enrolment ratio, which was about 27 percent in 2019-20 to 50 percent by 2035. It proposes a four-year degree and one / two-year PG program with options for entry and exit after every year. What one gains by exiting with a certificate or diploma is not clear, as a degree is a minimum qualification for most jobs. It talks of making education multidisciplinary. But by multidisciplinary, NEP 2020 does not mean encouraging emerging multidisciplinary fields of study like geo-physics, bio-chemistry, bio-technology, political economy, political sociology, etc. According to NEP, making it multidisciplinary means giving the option for the students to take a subject like Physics as major, music as minor, and cookery as a vocational subject. Curricula proposed under NEP for degree and PG courses will include a fixed number of allied, non-allied, and vocational subjects.
Under NEP, the number of papers and number of credits that the students have to complete for getting a degree is much more than what it is there at the moment. The students are given the option to secure up to 40 percent of the total credits from online courses offered by other universities and institutions through platforms such as MOOCs and SWAYAM. The NEP document names this option of choosing any combination of subjects as a CBCS model / cafeteria approach. As part of NEP 2020, the government proposes creation of a centralized Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) to preserve all the credits that the student earns over the period and award the degree, diploma, or certificate. Similarly, changes are proposed in the curricula, syllabi, and administration of the Ph.D. courses. Further, NEP recommends the use of digital technology and recommends blended mode for teaching and research. NEP also proposes to grant autonomy to the colleges with high NAAC grade to design independently their own courses and even award the degrees to the students. At the highest level, NEP proposes new regulatory bodies to monitor the administration and accreditation of the HEIs in the country. It seeks to increase the enrolment in HEIs to 50 percent by facilitating the entry of private and foreign investments in education fields.
These being the major proposals under NEP 2020, let us now look at the state of higher education in Meghalaya. The state has only one central university, and a few HEIs such as IIM, NEIGRIHMS, etc., which are under central government. Though there is a demand for a state university, it has not materialized till date. The Department of Education, Government of Meghalaya looks after the administrative and financial aspects of the colleges in the state. According to the Directorate of Higher & Technical Education, there are six government colleges, 15 deficit colleges, 8 colleges with a lump-sum grant, and 26 private and self-financing colleges. All these colleges are affiliated to NEHU, which looks after affiliation, academic and examination related matters. According to the College Development Council of NEHU, out of the 79 colleges that are affiliated to NEHU, about 30 have permanent affiliation, and others only have temporary affiliation. Most colleges that have temporary affiliation are located in non-urban areas. Government and Deficit colleges in Shillong and Tura have reasonably good infrastructure, but most others lack minimum infrastructure and man-power. Most disciplines in the degree colleges have an average of five teachers. In some, they have to even teach higher secondary courses. For different reasons, the UG syllabi have not been updated for over a decade. There are backward areas where the infrastructure and internet services are bad. The present state of higher education in Meghalaya leaves question marks on the possibility of implementing the reforms, such as four-year degree, blended mode of teaching, cafeteria approach and transfer of credits.
NEHU can give academic inputs for improvement in higher education. It can take charge of PG departments directly under its control. But for the UG courses, the execution or non-execution of the NEP depends on the initiatives from the colleges and the government of Meghalaya. If we look at the national scenario, the BJP ruled states are going ahead with implementing the NEP. But non-BJP states like Kerala, Tamilnadu, Bengal, etc., expressed their reservations against the NEP. They have pointed out that although education is a Concurrent List; the states were never consulted in drafting the NEP. Some accuse its proposals as contrary to the constitutional values and social justice, and apprehend that NEP paves the way for commercialization and saffronization of education. These non-BJP states set up separate committees under the chairmanship of well-known educationists to make suggestions for educational development in their states. While Karnataka had its own expert committee, which suggested several initiatives to implement the NEP, the AAP government in Delhi went ahead with major school reforms with no reference to the NEP.
A tribal dominant state like Meghalaya, with limited resources, has its own problems and limitations. It can neither overlook the concerns, needs and apprehensions of its people, nor ignore the responsibility of improving the educational standard in the state. Meghalaya cannot afford to ape Karnataka, or Kerala, which are at different levels of social, educational and economic development. Meghalaya has to evaluate the pros and cons of each of the NEP proposals, and see what is practical, necessary and best suited for the state and its people. To start the process, the state government may consider appointing a committee with well-known educationists, who are conversant not only with the educational policies of the state and central governments, but are also aware of the ground realities in the state. The Committee may consult different stakeholders, including NEHU, and come out with its own vision plan for the development of education in the state. The college managements, teachers’ associations and students’ bodies should give inputs for devising the state policy on higher education. With an open mind, all of us need to engage in a healthy debate and help give shape to a progressive and meaningful educational policy, taking selectively positive inputs from NEP 2020. All this exercise takes time. It is better that Meghalaya makes steady progress, and not make the situation worse by taking hasty decisions.