Implementation Issues Ahead

The draft National Education Policy 2019 put out by the government for comments from stakeholders stands out as an excellent text on what needs to be done. But then, when it comes to education, the devil lies in the detail. Consider higher education alone. Sadly, in many cases, there are key parts relating to running of institutions where government institutions themselves have limited powers .

The IIM (Indian Institute of Management) Bill, for instance, does not provide IIMs much leeway on faculty salaries. The policy draft wants: "the higher education system in India must, at the earliest, be readjusted, revamped, and re-energised?." It does list out some fundamental shifts needed in the system architecture and on funding. It is also critical of the culture of coaching that has emerged for entrance to leading Indian institutions. All eyes now on how it will all get implemented.