CHENNAI: Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister M C Sudhakar on Tuesday highlighted the practical problems of implementing National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, especially in regard to multidisciplinary learning, multiple entry-exit options and other structural flexibility.
In conversation with Sunaina Singh, former vice chancellor of Nalanda University on the theme, ‘The New Curriculum: Reimagining Education’, Sudhakar pointed out that Karnataka was the first state in the country to implement NEP 2020.
However, his Congress-led government believed that the previous government rolled out the policy in haste, without adequately addressing ground realities in public higher education institutions. Hence, the party set up a panel to draft a State Education Policy immediately after coming to power in 2023.
“Drafting a State Education Policy (SEP) was a part of our manifesto,” said the minister, adding that the expert committee has already submitted its report.
Sudhakar said that the NEP 2020 is workable, and better suited for private and deemed universities — but not for public institutions. He noted that private universities enjoy academic autonomy, operate integrated campuses, and this structure enables smooth academic mobility across disciplines. In contrast, public universities cater largely to students from economically-weaker backgrounds and face serious faculty shortages and infrastructure constraints.
He pointed out that the biggest challenge in implementing the NEP 2020 is faculty shortage. Many institutions rely heavily on guest faculty, making it difficult to offer diverse electives such as cybersecurity or interdisciplinary courses. Therefore, without strengthening foundational capacities, he argued, NEP’s multidisciplinary ambitions may be impractical for the public higher education system.