The National Policy on Education (NPE) that was adopted by Parliament in May 1986 and Programme of Action (POA), 1986, as updated in 1992, are perhaps the last government policy statements on higher education and which have guided actions since the mid-1980s. Now that there are new moves on the policy front, it is necessary to identify the key issues, build on the earlier efforts (especially initiated after studies by the University Grants Commission) and then take a step ahead. The last major initiative on the development of higher education was during the 11th Plan (2007-12).

The problems that confront education today are low rates of enrolment, unequal access, poor quality of infrastructure and lack of relevance. The goals remain the same — expansion with inclusion and ensuring quality and relevant education. In this article, I discuss some of these issues and offer suggestions............Read more

Source: The Hindu