Five years after its approval, India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is producing visible changes in how the country's universities operate. From flexible four-year undergraduate programs to the abolition of rigid disciplinary silos, the reform agenda is ambitious and far-reaching.
What Has Changed
Over 400 universities have adopted the Academic Bank of Credits system, allowing students to accumulate credits across institutions. The four-year undergraduate degree with multiple exit points — certificate after one year, diploma after two, degree after three, and honours after four — has become the new norm at most central universities.
Multi-disciplinary education is perhaps the most transformative element. Engineering students at IITs now take courses in philosophy and literature, while humanities programs have integrated data analytics modules into their curricula.
Challenges Remain
Implementation has been uneven. State universities, which educate the vast majority of Indian students, lag significantly behind in adopting reforms. Faculty shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and resistance to change have slowed progress in many institutions.
"The policy is visionary, but execution requires sustained investment and political will at the state level. We cannot have a two-speed higher education system," said former UGC chairman Ved Prakash.
The government has allocated ₹1.2 lakh crore for education in the current budget, with specific provisions for faculty development and infrastructure upgrades. Whether the funding is sufficient to achieve the NEP's 2035 targets remains an open question among educators.
