NEP 2020: UGC asks higher education institutions to set up NEP cells

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission has directed the higher education institutions to set up NEP Cells and make initiatives under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 operational and monitor their progress.

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“Many HEls are proactively involved in implementing NEP 2020 and have initiated several measures for the same. ln order to ensure that vision of NEP, 2020 gets translated into reality, I would request you to establish "NEP Cell" in your institution,” an official statement said.

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In its statement, UGC said that some of the initiatives undertaken for implementation of NEP 2020 are:

• Regulations on Academic Bank of Credits to promote flexibility and facilitate student mobility
• Guidelines on Multiple Entry and Exit in the Academic Programmes of higher education institutions
• Guidelines for Apprenticeship or internship embedded degree programme as part of the curriculum of general degree programme
• Amendment of institutions Deemed to be University Regulations to facilitate Vocational Education to enhance Employability
• Regulations on ODL and Online Education to expand access and increase GER
• Regulations on Credit Framework for online courses through SWAYAM 2021 for recognition and integration of credits - lncreasing the credit limit from 20% to 40%.
• Guidelines for internationalization of Higher Education
• Establishment of Office for international affairs - one stop contact for foreign students
• Alumni connect at university level to engage with alumni (of foreign origins and lndians living abroad)

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In an effort to address the challenges faced by the higher education system in the nation, UGC has adopted the ‘quality mandate’ to improve the quality, the statement further said.

UGC further said that the HEIs can undertake the activities under Quality Mandate and aligned to NEP 2020 at their own level such as offering multidisciplinary programmes, orientation to newly recruited faculty through Faculty Induction programme, translation of books or course materials for degree programmes in lndian languages etc.