The dependence of growth, development and progress on the quality of education is universally accepted. Dynamic education policies realise that it is the quality of higher education that is the pivot of all initiatives launched and efforts made to move ahead with confidence in creating a developed nation and a knowledge society. The National Education Policy (NEP-2020) has made comprehensive policy stipulations to ensure that higher education institutions (HEIs) act not only as repositories and dispensers of knowledge but also as creators of new knowledge. The NEP-2020, which took final shape after considerable delay and consequent upon never-before extensive consultations, successfully created a strong new wave of galvanised work culture and inspiration amongst institutions and individuals all around, particularly academics, researchers, and innovators. Moving ahead from well-thought-out philosophical articulations to confronting the emerging challenges through its plans and programmes, the NEP-2020 places primary emphasis on nurturing every individual learner, recognising and fostering each one’s curiosity, ideas, imagination, creativity and und nourishing these without any impediments.

The policy stipulations in higher education realise and affirm the comprehension that higher education is the “principal instrument for passing on the accumulated experience, cultural and scientific, of humanity.” India also realises that its latent cognitive capital will emerge fully only when every learner is supported in meeting his individual needs and nurtured. This would, in common parlance, mean that enough avenues of support are available to minorities, SC/ST, OBCs, and other identified categories.

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The economic, social or cultural inadequacies no longer hinder the path of progress of any learner. The significant shift to enhance access, equity, and focus on quality is visible in the fast-changing landscape of higher education in India. The rise of nearly 26.5 per cent in the HEIs enrolments—from 3.42 crores to 4.33 crores—during the period 2014–15 to 2021–2022 indicates several positives, including the most encouraging 43 per cent participation of girls in the total enrolment under STEM! The All-India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) has also revealed increased enrolment of ST students by 43.8 per cent, ST students by 65.2 per cent and OBC by 45.1 per cent.
It is worth mentioning that enrolment of female ST students has increased by 80.1 per cent which reflects India’s serious commitment towards gender equality and social equity. Additionally, female enrolment in higher education increased by 32 per cent reaching 2.07 crore in 2021–22, which continues to be more than male GER for the fifth consecutive year in 2021–22. We have also witnessed a significant increase in enrolment of students across religious minorities, with Muslim Minority enrolment showing an increase of 37.5 per cent and that of Other Minority Communities (Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Zoroastrians—Parsis) showing an increase of 39.4 per cent. Student enrollment from the Northeastern states also saw a considerable increment of 28.4 per cent.

These improvements highlight the government’s efforts towards ensuring greater accountability for education for all sections of society, particularly among girls and disadvantaged groups. It must also be mentioned that community realisation of the worth of education in the life ahead could further spur the rise in participation rates. An increase in enrollment demands greater support inputs for weaker sections. The present Union government must be credited for the substantial rise in the number of scholarships and other financial assistance to the needy during the last couple of years. One would particularly like to mention the complete waiver of tuition fees for SC/ST and other needy categories in several much-sought-after courses in institutions like IITs.

India needs to evolve a fresh system of academic recruitment, including that of the heads of universities and other HEIs. To achieve this and ensure the filling of academic positions reserved for various categories, top talent must be attracted and retained at the doctorate level. The Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme, for instance, offers substantial monthly fellowships and research grants, leading to over 3000 students pursuing Ph.D. programmes in premier Indian universities and institutions since its inception in 2018. For the first time, not only are scholarship amounts substantially high, but there is no dearth of additional funds for any research project. The quality of research is also augmented by initiatives like SPARC, the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration. The academia-industry collaboration in research and innovation is, for the first time, working with great vigour and energy. SPARC has facilitated joint research proposals with various countries, with an emphasis on critical and emerging technologies, sustainability, and other key areas. Twelve themes have been identified for collaborative funding under SPARC, such as energy, sustainability, and climate change; semiconductors; advanced computing; AI; quantum computing; and others.

Indian education has achieved sufficient recognition and success, both within and outside the country. India and its ancient education systems aimed at comprehensive personality. We were privileged that while MK Gandhi emphasised that education must draw the best out of ‘head, hand, and heart’, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother dwelled in higher echelons of human advancement. Education, said the Mother, is not to prepare learners to succeed in life and society but ‘to increase his perfectibility’! This is what makes Indian education stand out among all others. Addressing the students of the Ashram schools, she said, “Do not aim for success. Our aim is perfection. Remember, you are on the edge of a new world, participating in its worth, and being instrumental in its creation. There is nothing more important than the transformation. There is no interest more worthwhile.” Being an active part of the education scenario for over five decades, one could confidently state that never before were we as prepared to fulfil the above-mentioned expectations as we are today.

The writer is known for his contributions to reforms in school education, teacher education, and institutional management. Appointed full Professor of Physics at the age of 31 in July 1974, he was the Principal of the Regional Institute of Education Bhopal (1977–88), Joint Educational Adviser, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India (1989–94), Chairman, National Council for Teacher Education, NCTE (1994–99), and Director of the NCERT (1999–2004). He effectively regulated the B.Ed correspondence courses as the first Chairman of NCTE and started the innovative two-year B.Ed courses in 1999.

He has published research papers in physics and several specialised areas in education, guided doctoral-level research, and authored several books. He is known for guiding the preparation of good-quality materials for teachers and teacher educators. He chaired the groups responsible for preparing the Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCTE, 1998) and for school education (NCERT, 2000). He was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in 2015.