NEP 2020: Higher education at crossroads as institutions in Nagaland face closure threat

DIMAPUR — By the year 2040, higher education institutions in Nagaland with less than 3000 students may face closure, due to the criteria set by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Currently, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Jakhama is the lone institution in the state that fulfills the criteria, according to A Nshoga, Director of Higher Education department.

Underscoring the pervasive nature of the issue in regard to Nagaland, the director shared this information at the inaugural session of the first triennial conference-cum-national seminar of All Nagaland Government College Teachers’ Association (ANGCTA), at Dimapur Government College (DGC) on Friday.

He highlighted the requirement for colleges to have infrastructure capable of accommodating more than 3000 students, a threshold yet to be met by any government college in the state.

Regarding the suggestion mentioned in the NEP 2020 for clustering colleges with a shortfall in student numbers, he said it is impractical in Nagaland, as students from rural and economically disadvantaged areas, will find difficult to attend classes outside their areas.

In view of these challenges, he said the department has formulated a comprehensive five-year draft plan for higher education infrastructure aligned with the NEP 2020 requirements and its concern was first conveyed to the Centre in August by presenting a roadmap to the central cabinet.

Having submitted a proposal to the government and the cabinet to develop the infrastructure of all colleges, the department is anticipating a substantial allocation of funds to address the current infrastructural inadequacies hindering the effective implementation of the NEP 2020.

“Having highlighted the problems and challenges of the department, the Government of India has diverted the UGC fund into PM-USHA and whoever misses this fund will face huge challenges,” he maintained. 

The director pointed out that Nagaland has ‘zero state plans’ for the Higher Education department, which relies on the Centre die the absence of financial support from the state government. Consequently, the department has presented its needs to the central government for the implementation of the NEP 2020.

On shortage of staff

Nshoga updated that the department has a workforce of 519 teachers and 17 government colleges but still faces difficulties in recruiting sufficient staff. ‘Proposals for the creation of more teaching positions have been put forth, and a total of 129 posts were created previously to be accommodated by contract teachers while the remainder would be filled through the NPSC. An additional 300 teaching posts are deemed necessary for the successful implementation of NEP 2020, given its emphasis on multidisciplinary approach,’ he added.

‘Each and every institution is expected to have different kinds of subject under one room, so this in one main challenge in the state,’ he pointed out.    

He also informed that the department has signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aviation industry, a first in the Northeast region, to set up a school on drone technology.  This collaboration aims to establish drone transportation between Dimapur and Kohima, connecting district headquarters. The drone system will include 4-seater, 6-seater, 8-seater, and 12-seater, with a specific focus on emergency transportation for sick individuals.

On low enrollment ratio

Pro Vice Chancellor of Nagaland University, Meriema campus, Prof. GT Thong, highlighted the progress of government colleges in Nagaland despite facing various challenges as well as historical neglect on higher education since India gained independence.

Referring to data from the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), Prof. Thong said the NEP-2020 aims to push the dismal 27.3% national Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in 2020-21, to 50% by 2035.

However, the GER in Nagaland currently stands at just 18.7%, with only about 10,000 students being admitted to government colleges annually, which is only about one-third of the total student enrollment in the state. Citing this, he stressed the need to attract students, even from neighbouring states in next five years, in order to achieve the 50% GER target.

‘We should not be the cause for the downgrade of the average national GER,’ he added.

On faculty qualification

Prof. Thong underscored the significance of faculty qualifications, noting that only 151 teachers has Ph.D. degrees out of approximately 600 in the 17 government colleges. This accounts for only about 25% of the teaching staff, he said, while urging the government to actively encourage and ensure that non-Ph.D. faculty members acquire the degree promptly.

He also suggested that newly recruited non-Ph.D. faculty members should be compelled to enroll in Ph.D. programmes as soon as permissible, and called upon the department to enforce these measures.

Pointing out the absence of a state university in Nagaland, despite having one central and four private universities, he said “the state government and academicians should, together, chart out a roadmap to establish at least one state university”, and that the venture would receive support from the governor.

Also speaking at the conference, DGC principal Prof. Sanjay Sharma said that with the new education policy in place there is a paradigm shift in the approach- from a teacher-centric to student-centric education. Under the NEP 2020, Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) has been introduced by Nagaland University along with the rest of the country.

According to the principal, the immediate challenges include rationalisation of course context as per the credit framework; addressing the issue of multiple entry and exit; implementation of SWAYAM/MOOCS courses; developing proper infrastructure for skill and vocational courses; implementation of the internship programmes prescribed in the curriculum and offering undergraduate programmes with research.

2 representations submitted

The ANGCTA submitted two representations to the minister of Higher Education and NU Vice Chancellor (VC) on Friday, highlighting key concerns related to higher education in Nagaland.

The representation to the minister included requests for the enhancement of the superannuation age to 65 years, aligning with national norms; allowing unrestricted progression to the Professor (Stage 5) level; restoring the PhD increment provision, and introducing provisions for guest faculty to address staffing shortages during prolonged leaves.

In the representation to the VC, the association highlighted the concerns related to curriculum framework for the implementation of FYUGP and sought clarity on the basis for evaluation of SEC courses and also suggested that the university sets a certain time frame (e.g., within six months) for the completion of the vocational course after the completion of one year (UG certificate) or two years (UG diploma). 

Seeking clarity on the common pool for interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary and common value-added courses, it said that the university needs to specifically mention the courses for each semester.

It requested the university to suggest the minimum faculty requirements for each department, redistribute course allocation, adjust syllabus content, and revise distribution of papers for common pool courses. It also emphasised the need for experiential components in skill enhancement courses.

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