Karnataka Becomes First State to Implement NEP 2020: Key Initiatives Launched

Karnataka higher education minister Ashwath Narayan said that the government has asked colleges to complete admission process under NEP 2020 by October 1.

Karnataka is the first state to implement the National Education policy-2020 (NEP-2020) in higher education institutions. Degree colleges in the state have now been given time till October 1 to complete the admission process under the new policy, after which classes will officially begin, Higher Education Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan announced. The NEP-2020 guidelines were announced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. CM Basavaraj Bommai, Higher Education Minister Dr. C.N Ashwath Narayan, State Education Minister B.C Nagesh were part of the programme.

Policy directives on higher education will be implemented for now and school-level initiatives will be launched later. Directives related to pre-primary and primary education include introducing mother tongue as a medium of education up to class five and changes in the way board exams are held. Infrastructure is yet to be developed to implement many of the provisions for primary education.

College students, however, will have the freedom to study inter-disciplinary courses for their degree programmes after the launch. This implies a student can opt for subjects as diverse as math and history if those are his or her interests.

In order to eliminate any hurdles and clarify doubts about the policy, the Higher Education Department will set up helplines and call centres and host dedicated FAQ websites for the students, the minister said. He encouraged funding by private players in higher education institutes as a means to “channelise resources available to strengthen the education system”.

He said the NEP was started in 270 polytechnic colleges across Karnataka in the previous academic year itself on a trial basis. “The kind of spending we are doing on educational institutes is peanuts. Two-thirds of the revenue should come from the public, alumni and industries to strengthen the institutes, or there is no way forward,” he cautioned.

During the virtual launch of NEP, it was also announced that Karnataka will be launching the research and development policy soon which will aim to boost research and quality research practices in the state.

Addressing the virtual event, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said: “Karnataka has set an example for the other states by becoming the first state to implement National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.”