into Type 1 and 2 institutions, and
must develop to become Type 3 insti-
tutions “and while the financial sup-
port for such development must be
arranged by the private HEIs, the gov-
ernment will treat them on a par with
public institutions and empower them
equally”. The draft further states that
private HEIs will have as much access
to funding from the National Research
Foundation (NRF) for research sup-
port as public institutions have.
Devil In the Details
The NEP’s intentions are good but
implementing even a small part of it
will require a close attention to details.
Most experts feel that the policy’s big-
gest weakness stems from the fact that
it does not seem to have grasped the
full implications of funding a policy
such as this.
This re-opens some long-standing
debates, for instance, on for-profit in-
stitutions. “We simply cannot ignore
the private institutions, especially given
the amount of investments required.
Today, the basic idea is that schools
should be not-for-profit, which means
that the capital has to be either from the government or philanthropy. The
latter is simply not possible because the amount required is huge. All of
CSR is just 15,000-20,000 crore. So, we will have to accept for-profit capi- tal and, therefore, allow institutions to make profit,” says Ajit Rangnekar, former Dean of the Indian School of Business and currently the Director General of Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad. “If the aim is that every child should receive good quality education, then each year an addi- tional5-10 lakh crore (if not more) will be required,” he says.
The policy suggests development in all types of education, from early
to advanced, but it “needs to get the priorities right. For instance, is access
more important or quality because ideally, it should be access with quality?”
says Rangnekar.
Apart from funds, any large-scale implementation will require a
change in the way things are managed and leadership. “How are you go-
ing to deal with vested interests? In Delhi, for instance, they have man-
aged to get school management committees, parents and local populace
to put pressure on the schools to perform,” says Rangnekar. Even in uni-
versities, he says, the theory that there should be more emphasis on liberal
education is good, but what can be dropped from the current curriculum
to accommodate liberal arts?
Management education, Banerjee of SPJIMR says, should also include:
systematic industry integration to create continuing curriculum relevance;
a scope to have multiple points of entry for faculty (PhDs as well as industry
executives), and inculcating social consciousness through innovative expe-
riential learning. “How can we do more India specific and relevant research,
and develop models of teaching and research that build on India’s unique
strengths? We have to become world class in our own way,” he says.
EDUCATION SPECIAL > POLICY90 I BUSINESS TODAY I August 25 I 2019The draft mentions that a higher
percentage of students should get
scholarships and financial aid. While
the suggestion is positive, one has to
look into the challenges to doing this.
For example, says Viswanathan, this
will mean a burden for self-financing
institutions. “Without the freedom to
fix the percentage of students getting
scholarship, private institutions will
become unviable.”
Section 18.6.3 of the draft mentions
that HEIs are to ensure that 50 per
cent of students in each of their pro-
grammes get fee waivers ranging from
25 per cent to 100 per cent. The fee
waivers shall be given to socio-econom-
ically disadvantaged students based on
the current definition of disadvantage,
and the criterion being used by the
HEI to determine the applicability of
fee waiver must be publicly announced.
“This (document) is a statement of
lofty intent which is laudable. A com-
ponent of specific direction to move
from the current state to the desirable
end state can be fleshed out more. It
will build greater confidence in the in-
tent being translated to executable di-
rection on the ground,” says Banerjee.
The NEP projects a beautiful image
of education and the possibilities in In-
dia; what we now need is the direction
and the means to implement it.@EKumarSharmaThe National Education Policy draft
wants the complex nomenclature
of higher education institutes to be
replaced by categories of public,
private or private-aided