Implementing NEP-2020

Drafting and promulgating a policy like National Education Policy (NEP-2020 or NEP in short) is one thing, but implementing it is quite another. This story takes a quick look at NEP-2020 and highlights the practical implementation by a leading university in India. NEP deals with both school and higher education. However, we have restricted our story to higher education.

Key features of NEP for higher education are listed below:

• Broad based and multi-disciplinary
• Flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects
• Integration of vocational education
• Multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Learner-centric education

Although NEP was announced in 2020, few institutions had been practicing many of the features of NEP since long. Institutions like IIT Kanpur, BITS Pilani, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay come to my mind. Some of the features implemented by these institutions even before NEP came into existence are listed below. The list is by no means exhaustive. It so happens that Ghumakkad has been closely associated with these institutions either as an alumni or otherwise during his 52 years of work life in Indian Navy and thereafter.

• IIT Kanpur: Flexible curricula, Multi-disciplinary courses and Centres like Material Science etc
• IIT Madras: Innovation and entrepreneurship through IITM Research Park, RTBI etc
• IIT Bombay: Research and entrepreneurship having multi-disciplinary, faculty-driven and relevance to societal needs
• BITS Pilani: Flexible curricula, Dual degree programs, Integration of vocational education through Practice School, WILP and industry partnerships, Multi-disciplinary, Entrepreneurship, Learner-centricity etc.

As we can see, BITS Pilani, my alma-mater takes the lead in implementing NEP-2020. In fact many of the features of NEP-20 had been implemented by BITS from 1969 onwards much before the policy was conceived and announced. We are not saying so because we belong to BITS but we wish to share and propagate the ways of implementing the policy. 

Apart from the above features implemented by BITS Pilani, we have many more initiatives courtesy Prof V Ramgopal Rao Group Vice Chancellor of BITS Pilani Group of Institutions. He has summarised some of the recent efforts of BITS in making education and research more relevant to the needs of the society. We share below his recent post on LinkedIn which highlights the need for 'deeptech' startups in India. Readers may browse the corresponding link for details of each of the initiatives listed.

"Spoke at the Conquest, BITS Pilani event in Bangalore, which is arguably Asia's first and the largest student run hashtag#startup hashtag#accelerator in India.

Spoke of the need for creating a hashtag#deeptech startup ecosystem in the country and how BITS Pilani is playing a key role in these efforts. We have launched at least 10 new hashtag#initiatives in the last one hashtag#year alone to strengthen the deeptech startup ecosystem in the institute campuses and the country.
1. hashtag#SPARKLE: Student Program for Advancing Research, KnowLedge, and Entrepreneurship
Link: https://lnkd.in/gvj6_efk
2. hashtag#SOLVE: Innovation Program for Solving Societal and Business Problems
Link: https://lnkd.in/gCiUWFN5
3. PhD hashtag#DRIVE: PhD Deep-tech Research, Innovation, Value generation & Entrepreneurship
Link: https://lnkd.in/gXUnnEbA
4. Creation of a School for Interdisciplinary Research and Entrepreneurship (hashtag#SIRE)
Link: https://lnkd.in/gy3zaPaC
5. Cross-disciplinary Research Framework scheme (hashtag#CDRF) for faculty with funding support for undertaking problems of societal relevance
Link: https://lnkd.in/gr5tm_Eq
6. Policy for hashtag#Faculty hashtag#Entrepreneurship
Link: https://lnkd.in/gB5yZrAt
7. PhD hashtag#IMPACT (Industry Mentored PhD in Advanced and Cutting-edge Technologies)
Link: https://lnkd.in/gzWRBuxp
8. Launch of hashtag#RakeshKapoor Innovation hashtag#Center
Link: https://lnkd.in/ghZMZ2JP
9. A completely revamped and hashtag#integrated hashtag#Incubation system in all campuses:
Link: https://lnkd.in/gjFd_AfM
10. Multiple new startup initiatives under the BITS hashtag#BiocyTIH Foundation & SATHI Initiatives
Link: https://biocytih.co.in/
11. Streamlined the processes for filing of hashtag#patents which has resulted in a 300% increase in patent filings in 2023-24.
Link: https://lnkd.in/gPq54eAV
12. USD100 Million dollar hashtag#Endowment Fund to be launched by BITS Pilani soon with a major chunk of it to support deep-tech startups.
13. New Centers of hashtag#Excellence for deeptech hashtag#research and entrepreneurship activities such as hashtag#CREST, hashtag#CRENS, hashtag#APPCAIR etc...
Links: https://lnkd.in/gBYSHgnR , https://lnkd.in/gAZhSXgg , https://appcair.com/
14. Recruitment of multiple hashtag#Professors of hashtag#Practice
Link: https://lnkd.in/gACsXEXZ & many more.

If you are a hashtag#deeptech hashtag#entrepreneur, hashtag#angel investor, hashtag#VC or an hashtag#industry keen to support hashtag#entrepreneurship activities in India, come and join hands with us. hashtag#BITS Pilani is an Institution of Eminence as per the Govt of India IoE scheme."

We are grateful to Prof V Ramgopal Rao for his permission to reproduce the above post.

We conclude with a quote by Mahatma Gandhi who said "Education is the basic tool for the development of consciousness and the reconstitution of the society."

If you are a faculty and wish to share your experience of implementing NEP, do mail us at hbindia@gmail.com . We would be happy to append it here with due credits.

Let us together take India to global leadership position in higher education. Education which is not only theoretical but which meets the needs of the society at large.

Thanks for browsing

   -Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/Secunderabad/23rd Aug 2024

#Deeptech #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #HigherEducation #NationalEducationPolicy2020 #NEP #Multi-disciplinary #IITs #BITSPilani #Implementation #research #flexibleeducation #dualdegree #vocationaleducation #practiceschool