Salient features of National Education Policy 2020 for higher education

 The National Education Policy, 2020 has recommended a revamp of the higher education in the country to make education more student-centric and multi-disciplinary. It aims to pave way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems in the country. The policy envisions a complete overhaul and re-energizing of the higher education system to overcome existing challenges and thereby deliver good quality higher education with equity and inclusion. Some of the salient features of National Education Policy 2020 for higher education inter-alia includes the following:-

1. Increasing GER in higher education to 50%;
2. Holistic Multidisciplinary Education with multiple entry/exit options;
3. NTA to offer Common Entrance Exam for Admission to HEIs;
4. Establishment of Academic Bank of Credit;
5. ‘Light but Tight’ regulation;
6. Equitable and inclusive education – Special emphasis given on Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups(SEDGs);
7. Exposure of vocational education  in school and higher education system;

UGC has issued ‘UGC (Establishment and Operation of Academic Bank of Credits in Higher Education) Regulation, 2021’. Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) has been set up and Guidelines on Multiple Entry/Exit have been issued on 29.07.2021, to promote flexibility of curriculum framework and interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary academic mobility of students across the Higher Education Institutions in the country with appropriate ‘Credit Transfer’ mechanism. The ABC portal (https://www.abc.gov.in/) is open for registration of both Students and Universities.

The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Subhas Sarkar in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.