Many educational institutions in the country are taking in students beyond the prescribed limit in contradiction to the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. M Thambidurai, Chairman of the Committee on Government Assurances, told the Rajya Sabha that no action has been taken by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
National Education Policy 2020
Some big educational institutions are taking advantage of this, thus creating monopoly in the education ecosystem. Smaller institutions are bearing the brunt of finding students to fill the vacant seats. Thambidurai said this could discourage new educational institutions from opening, and defeat the goal of the NEP 2020. The committee urged the UGC to take stern action against the big educational institutions that are engaged in monopolistic practices.
This comes after Education Ministry officials raised the issue of pending assurance about changes to the system of higher education and vocational education. The Department of Higher Education secretary informed the committee that NEP 2020 has set out a framework for the adoption of vocational education and practical training in the regular academic curriculum.
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However, Thambidurai said students are not eager to join vocational courses. He pointed out that students find such courses inferior and do not see any dignified or lucrative employment in the same.
The chairman said this is evident in the large number of seats for such vocational and professional courses being vacant. Thambidurai also attributed minimum to no interest in such courses to the high fee structure, longer career path and lack of employment opportunities. He suggested the development of a well-coordinated and robust system for vocational training.
