Meghalaya: North-Eastern Hill University to implement NEP 2020 for UG courses

The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) has announced to implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for its undergraduate courses from the upcoming academic session.

The development is announced by Prof P S Shukla the Vice Chancellor of NEHU in a press conference at the Shillong Press Club here on Wednesday.  

Prof Shukla informed that letters have been distributed to all the affiliated colleges with the NEHU. 

The National Education Policy of India 2020 (NEP 2020), outlines the vision of the new education system of India. It replaces the previous National Policy on Education, 1986. The vision of the policy is to build an education system rooted in Indian ethos that contributes directly to transforming India by providing high-quality education to all, thereby making India a global knowledge superpower.

Also Read: Meghalaya Education Symposium 2023 to help government to chart out interventions: CM Conrad Sangma

Speaking to reporters, Prof Shukla said that the University has already implemented the NEP 2020 for the Post Graduate (PG) students' academic session 2022-23. While, for the Under Graduate (UG) the University has already circulated the letters to all the affiliated colleges of NEHU to implement the NEP from the upcoming academic session starting from August 1, 2023. 

It was also informed that the Academic Council and Executive Council of NEHU have duly endorsed the implementation of the NEP 2020. With the implementation of the NEP 2020- the University will start with a four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) with effect from the upcoming academic session. The programme allows multiple entry and exit options to the students, allowing certificates, diplomas, and degrees at the end of the first, second, and third year, respectively. 

It notes that the FYUP shall allow “the opportunity to exp­erience the full range of holistic and multidisciplinary education in addition to a focus on the chosen major and minors as per the choices of the student”. The FYUP shall be a ­degree with a research component provided that the student completes a rigorous research project in the major. The argument in favour of a shift to FYUP is that it will provide opportunities for multidisciplinary work as per the needs of the labour market.

As per the new policy, the FYUP is claimed will promote higher specialisation in the four-year programme with research in major. The currently prevalent rigid bound­aries between the subjects will be done away with and thereby allow greater freedom of choice to the students. It is believed to create possibilities for lifelong learning allowing the learner to enter the portals of higher education learning.

On asked, if all affiliated colleges are geared up with the new policy, Prof Shukla stressed that all the principles of the colleges were sent with the letter but however, but the VC is yet to know the exact number of colleges willing and the number of colleges not willing to implement the new education policy. 

Prof Shukla said that the colleges that are not willing should come up with a list of hindrances and submit them to the University. While acknowledging the challenges that some colleges might face in implementing the policy immediately. Hề however said that for such institutions, the option to defer the implementation for one academic year has been provided. 

Meanwhile, on June 1 State Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma stated that several educational institutions in the state are facing difficulties in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for various reasons.

Sangma revealed that the education department has conducted multiple meetings with heads of educational institutions across the state in the past week. These institutions have submitted a petition expressing their inability to implement the NEP 2020 during the current academic year 2023-2024.

Worth Mentioning, the State government had sat for a series of meetings with NEHU and the state’s Principal Council, and a collective decision was made not to implement the NEP 2020 at this time.