Meghalaya Government revisits NEP 2020 implementation in Higher Education Institutions

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 27, 2023

Meghalaya, in a collaborative effort, is actively engaging with national initiatives to bolster the implementation of NEP 2020 in its higher education institutions. Commemorating the 3rd Anniversary of NEP 2020 and the second edition of Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, the state’s government is revisiting and reinforcing its commitment to the principles and objectives of the National Education Policy.

The Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 7 brought together over 300 Vice-Chancellors, Directors from public and private universities, educationists, policymakers, and industry representatives. The focus was on charting the way forward to further implement the National Education Policy 2020 across the country, building upon successful initiatives from the past two years.

Addressing the attendees at the three-day Shiksha Samagam, Prime Minister emphasized the pivotal role of the education system and the younger generation in fulfilling the pledges of the ‘Amrit Kaal.’ He highlighted the fundamental premise of the National Education Policy, which seeks to break away from narrow thinking and embrace modern ideas of the 21st century. The Prime Minister also highlighted that in the new policy, the entire focus is on making children skilled according to their talents and choices of the children. “Our youth should be skilled, confident, practical and calculative, education policy is preparing the ground for this”.

As the nation prepares to celebrate the two-day event commemorating the 3rd Anniversary of NEP 2020 and the second edition of Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Samagam on July 29-30, in New Delhi, Meghalaya joins hands with the nation to revisit the significant events and initiatives carried out by the State Government in line with NEP 2020.

Meghalaya, along with other States/ UTs in the country, has been actively pushing to implement the recommendations of National Education Policy 2020 in its Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). Based on principles of flexibility, multi-disciplinarity, and holistic education, the NEP 2020 recommendations also emphasize conceptual understanding, ethics, life skills, equity, and inclusion.

To facilitate the NEP 2020 implementation in the state, the Governor of Meghalaya has formed a Core Group with with the Principal Secretary as the Chairman, the Secretary, Education Department, Director of School Education & Literacy, Director of Educational Research and Training and Director of  Higher & Technical Education as members.  This group is entrusted with overseeing the successful implementation of the policy.

Meghalaya has been proactive in sharing its Concept Note and Action Plan for NEP 2020 implementation in HEIs with the Ministry of Education, aligning with the guidelines provided by the central government.

At the institutional level, various capacity-building workshops, webinars, and seminars have been conducted since 2019 in Colleges and Private Universities to discuss and formulate individual institutional plans for NEP 2020 implementation.

The Central University – North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), to which all colleges in the State are affiliated, has played a pivotal role in capacity-building and training for faculty members, ensuring the successful implementation of NEP 2020 for HEIs. The University has already implemented the NEP 2020 for the Post Graduate student for the academic session 2022-23. The 27th Emergent Academic Council of NEHU held on March 28, 2023 had structured and approved the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes to be adopted by the HEIs. The University has proposed to start with a Four-Year Under Graduate Programme (FYUP) from the upcoming academic session.

Recognizing the importance of monitoring and review, the National Conference of Chief Secretaries highlighted the need for periodic assessments of NEP 2020 implementation across States/ UTs.

The State Government, to sensitize and prepare stakeholders for NEP 2020 implementation, has shared the Template for Monitoring of NEP 2020 implementation derived from the National Conference of Chief Secretaries. This exercise has been instrumental in fostering understanding among grassroots stakeholders on the action points related to Learner Centric Education, Digital Learning, Institute-Industry Linkage, Academic Research, Internationalization, and Indian Knowledge System.

Meghalaya has been regularly compiling reports from HEIs in the State on their progress in implementing the NEP 2020 Action Points, sharing achievements and insights with the Ministry of Education, Government of India.

In an effort to ease NEP 2020 implementation at the institutional level, the Directorate of Higher & Technical Education has been proactive in sharing notifications and guidelines from the Central Government, State Government, and University Grants Commission (UGC) on relevant action points.

HEIs in Meghalaya are encouraged to visit the University Grants Commission portal frequently to access first-hand information on Regulations and Guidelines for implementing NEP 2020. The State emphasizes the importance of sensitizing teachers and students at the institutional level through appropriate capacity-building programs, counseling, and dissemination of information.

Recently, the State Government has constituted the State Education Commission, with renowned Central Government & State Government officials, NEHU professors, Principals & Faculties from Colleges, and Principals of Schools as members. The Commission’s task is to recommend strategic interventions and policy decisions aligned with NEP 2020 principles and update the Meghalaya State Education Policy accordingly.

The Education Department will closely monitor NEP 2020 implementation in the state and foster a synergic relationship among stakeholders to ensure a holistic approach in implementing the policy.