NEP Steering Committee scrapped without notice; colleges left in limbo, ETEducation
Mumbai: The steering committee for the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, formed three years ago, has been dissolved after its last meeting in July, without any official intimation. As the first batch under the policy is now set to graduate with their three-year degrees, or even enter the fourth year, a new concept in the state, colleges continue to await directives and clarity on several aspects. Principals from several autonomous colleges, as well as some committee members, believe that the steering committee should have continued mentoring institutions until the first batch under the policy graduates.The 14-member steering committee was formed in 2022, under the chairmanship of former vice-chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University, Nitin Karamalkar, soon after the govt decided to implement the 2020 policy in state. Since the policy was first implemented in autonomous colleges, each of the members in the committee were assigned as mentors to at least 10 colleges. Though colleges claimed that there were deliberations happening in the first year, the frequency reduced. Since a majority of the batch is likely to exit with the three-year degrees, and even for the fourth year, there are many loose ends that need to be tied, say principals.Some colleges are open to offering lateral entry to students in the fourth year if they do not get enough numbers from their own college. In such cases, however, there is no clarity on how the names of the two colleges will reflect on the degrees. For instance, if a student from a college X moves to a top-rung city college for the fourth year, how will he/she benefit if the degree only mentions the primary college’s name, said a principal. There is also no clarity on how empowered autonomy status can be exercised, as these colleges were allowed to award degrees jointly with the parent university, said another principal. There are many queries on credit sharing, on the exit policy, honour programmes, internships and on-job training for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, said a steering committee member. He added that the state has neither dissolved or continued with the committee’s proceedings on paper.”There are a few students who want to exit after the first year of master’s programme, while these students are eligible to get PG diploma certificates, there is no clarity on whether the university will issue it or colleges can,” said another principal. He also said that there is no clarity on the work load of teachers in the fourth year, as the govt will give funds only to those courses where the master’s programmes is aided, when a vast majority of courses at PG level are unaided.
While the state govt formed a Maharashtra State Academic and Research Coincil (MahaSARC) this year, an advisory body for higher education, it is yet to come out with any directive.
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