NEP reforms see mixed progress in higher education: QS I-GAUGE report

Time of India

5 days ago

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NEW DELHI: Five years after its launch, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has begun to reshape India's higher education landscape, with notable gains in curriculum flexibility, faculty development, and institutional alignment with national frameworks.
However, only 36% of Indian higher education institutions have implemented the multiple entry-exit option, a key NEP 2020 reform, while just 14% have appointed industry-linked 'Professors of Practice', according to the first-ever implementation progress report by QS I-GAUGE.
Based on responses from 245 senior academic leaders across 165 institutions in 21 states and 3 Union territories—including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, and West Bengal—the report reveals that while curriculum flexibility and faculty development have seen strong adoption, critical directives around mental health, innovation labs, and global research tie-ups remain underdeveloped.
Among the most widely implemented reforms, 90% of institutions reported offering flexible curricula and 96% aligned their programme and course learning outcomes with the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF). In addition, 92% of faculty members participated in professional development initiatives, signalling strong institutional investment in teacher training.
However, access to digital learning remains uneven.
While there is enthusiasm for digital education, only 6% of institutions reported investing in open digital infrastructure, and a mere 4% engaged with government e-learning platforms like SWAYAM, SWAYAMPRABHA, and DIKSHA- highlighting a significant implementation gap in one of NEP 2020's cornerstone areas.
Structural issues persist. Only 36% of institutions offer multiple entry and exit options, despite this being central to NEP's learner-centric vision, and just 14% have appointed 'Professors of Practice' to bridge academia-industry gaps.
The establishment of MoUs with premier institutions for mental health support is also limited, with just 14% of HEIs reporting such partnerships. Furthermore, only 12% of institutions have established AICTE-IDEA Labs, which are vital for fostering innovation and experiential learning.
Research and global engagement appear limited: only 41% have collaboration agreements with foreign universities, and 45% reported faculty-level international collaborations.
While 78% of institutions claimed autonomous status, several cited bureaucratic hurdles, financial dependency, and limited institutional capacity as key barriers to further reform.
Progress in integrating Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) has been gradual. Elective IKS courses are offered by just 38% of institutions, and 92% have not empanelled 'Kala Gurus'- experts who can enrich teaching and research in traditional knowledge domains.
While the report does not rank individual states, it provides a regional snapshot that reveals significant disparities in NEP implementation. Southern states like Tamil Nadu (14 institutions), Maharashtra (12), and Karnataka (10) showed higher participation and engagement with reforms such as digital learning, industry linkages, and learner-centric models. This suggests these states may be better positioned due to more robust infrastructure, greater funding access, and stronger internal quality assurance frameworks.
Conversely, lower representation from states like Goa, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, and implementation bottlenecks in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh point to regional imbalances. Institutions in these areas cited digital divides, financial dependence, and administrative inertia as major challenges, particularly in areas like knowledge clustering and internationalisation. The findings underline the need for decentralised, state-specific strategies and capacity-building support to ensure that the NEP's transformative vision is uniformly realised across India.
'The report is a call to pause, reflect, and resume with renewed focus,' said Ravin Nair, Managing Director of QS I-GAUGE. 'True transformation in Indian education begins with reform, but it must be matched by readiness.'
Ashwin Fernandes, Executive Director (AMESA) at QS, added that NEP implementation must align with the broader Viksit Bharat 2047 vision: 'Transparent frameworks like ratings empower institutions to align national goals with global competitiveness.'
As NEP enters its next phase, the report urges institutions and policymakers to address resource constraints, strengthen institutional capacity, and overcome bureaucratic inertia to ensure more equitable and holistic implementation across the sector.