The National Education Policy 2020 being implemented in the State may run into teething problems but the realisation of the outcome envisaged under the policy hinges on its proper implementation. It was also imperative for the government to increase the GDP spending on higher education
This was the opinion of former Vice-Chancellors of various universities who participated in a review and orientation meeting held here on Saturday.
‘’The Orientation Programme for Students and Faculty in the Selection of Multidisciplinary Courses under NEP-2020 – Reported Lapses and Confusion in its Implementation and Possible Remedies’’ was organised by the Forum of Former Vice-Chancellors of Karnataka (FVCK) and University of Mysore Alumni Association.
The organisers said the national education policy was formulated first in 1966 and it was modified in 1992 and 3 decades have passed since the previous policy during which there has been transformation in various fields across the world. If the needs and the challenges of the country have to be met then the education sector too should gear up to meet the requirements of the 21st century and quality research and innovation will hold the key for India to become a knowledge superpower.
G. Hemantha Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Mysore, said one of the objectives of the NEP was to shore up the standards to make it relevant to the changing world and ensure that some of the varsities are ranked among the top 100 educational institutions in the world. He said while it is not enough to have a policy, it was also imperative to implement it and the onus was on the teachers to gear up for the challenge and stimulate the creativity of the students.
But Mr.Hemantha Kumar said creating a positive attitude towards the NEP or creating awareness among the stakeholders alone would not be sufficient. The government should also increase the spending on higher education from 1.2 per cent of the country’s GDP to 6 per cent as envisaged in the policy document so as to create infrastructure.
.S.N.Hegde, former VC, UoM, said it is more than an year since the NEP is being implemented and the educationists should be committed to it. Such workshops and conferences should be conducted periodically to elicit feedback from the stakeholders to ensure the proper implementation of the NEP.
Former VC of KSOU and UoM K.S.Rangappa, who is also the president of FVCK, said though NEP is an excellent scheme, the outcome depends on its proper implementation. But there are pressing issues like lack of infrastructure, shortage of teachers etc and it is for the Government to resolve them.
Former VC of KSOU N.S.Rame Gowda was also present.
