An alum of IIT-Kanpur and the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, with work experience in high-end consultancy firms including McKinsey & Co, New York, Atul Khosla is the founder pro-vice chancellor of Shoolini University, Himachal Pradesh (estb.2009) ranked #1 in the state in the EW India Private University Rankings 2020-21.

How satisfied are you with NEP 2020’s proposals for higher education?

I am excited by several higher education reforms proposed by NEP 2020. A great university should be on the cutting edge of research and innovation, flexible and agile, working for the upliftment of the community and continuously challenging the status quo. NEP 2020 endorses these beliefs.

The most satisfying proposals of NEP 2020 are its intent to integrate liberal arts learning into all study programmes in higher education; set up a unified regulator for higher education; encourage establishment of large globally competitive multi-disciplinary universities; permit foreign universities to establish campuses in India; establish a National Research Fund and Academic Credits Bank. This could be the start of a new India — an India respected for its knowledge economy.

NEP 2020 has proposed the separation of functions of regulation, accreditation, funding and academic standard setting & establishment of the Higher Education Commission of India which will have four verticals — NHERC, NAC, HECI & GEC – to regulate HEIs (higher education institutions). Isn’t this over-bureaucratisation of higher education?

According to my calculus, India will need to invest US$1 trillion (almost half our GDP in 2019) over the next 15 years to fulfill the dreams of NEP 2020. This requires massive resource mobilisation by government. However good its intentions are, government will never succeed in raising the amount of funding required. Therefore, a large proportion of investment in higher education will have to come from the private sector.

Of course, it’s undeniable that too much regulation kills any initiative. When there is ease of doing business, private capital flows in, there’s competition and product quality improves. So what we need in Indian higher education is less rather than additional regulation. While the NEP scores on most points, I have reservations about the regulatory framework proposed.

Admittedly, there is the danger that too many regulatory bodies will create regulatory complexity. I hope the separation of functions and a new Higher Education Commission with its four proposed verticals does not lead to over-bureaucratisation and over-regulation of HEIs.

In the final analysis, profits and free pricing are critical for attracting large investments into higher education. The tragedy is that the existing not-for-profit private secondary and higher education model is a sham. It’s common knowledge that the majority of HEI trusts are not-for-profit only on paper and commercial in intent, where left pocket-right pocket monetary transfers and doubtful transactions are the norm. So why not make for-profit HEIs legal? It would encourage private capital to flow in and Indian education to blossom.

What do you see as the major roadblocks in implementing the proposed higher ed regulatory structure?

There is always chance of slip between cup and lip. While NEP 2020 is pathbreaking, the real challenge will be its implementation in letter and spirit. A lot of determination and effort will be needed to eliminate existing holy cows of higher education and make the system dynamic and relevant. I hope the new ministry of education is not just a change of name, but will also change its mind-set and operational style.

Moreover the implementation milestones are too distant. We need a detailed follow-up plan involving strong partnerships between the Centre and states to make implementation seamless and effective. The spirit and essence of NEP 2020 should not be lost in bureaucracy and details.

Is there any important area of higher education reform which NEP 2020 has failed to address?

NEP 2020 should have paid greater attention to incremental digital technology usage in higher education and co-opted the country’s most innovative online education providers.

India has a great opportunity to leverage the digital revolution to improve productivity and national wealth. In Industrial Revolution 4.0, knowledge, research and innovation are crucial for success. Countries with strong education systems will be at a huge advantage. The US with trillion dollar companies such as Amazon, Google and Apple is winning this race and China is a close second. India needs to revamp its education architecture — from K-12 to university — to transform into a global superpower.

Read: Implementing NEP 2020: Expert advice for central government

Also read: Covid-19 Challenge: Shoolini University, Himachal Pradesh