The National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020 stipulates that a National Higher Education Qualification framework (NHEQF) will be formulated, and it shall be in sync with the National Skill Qualifications Framework, (NSQF). So as to ease the integration of vocational education into higher education, prescribe the facilitative norm for issues such as credit transfer, equivalence etc . Higher education qualification leading to a degree/diploma/certificate shall also be described by NHEQF in terms of such learning outcomes. UGC has developed draft National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF), and is inviting suggestions and feedback on the draft NHEQF from all stakeholders. The last date for submitting feedback is February 13, 2022.
The draft NHEQF framework aims to create job-ready individuals with the spirit of entrepreneurship. UGC has has made a list of several learning outcomes to assess students, at different levels, before it released a draft National Higher Educational Qualification Framework (NHEQF). The main thrust of the policy regarding higher education is to transform HEIs into large multidisciplinary universities, colleges, and HEI clusters/Knowledge Hubs. This is expected to help build vibrant communities of scholars and peers, enable students to become well- rounded across disciplines including artistic, creative, and analytic subjects as well as sports, develop active research communities across disciplines including cross-disciplinary research, and increase resource
The draft NHEQF framework aims to move towards a higher educational system consisting of large, multidisciplinary universities and colleges, with at least one in or near every district, and with more higher education institutions (HEIs) across India that offer the medium of instruction or programmes in local/Indian languages:
•Moving towards a more multidisciplinary undergraduate education; and
• Revamping curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and student support for enhanced student experiences.
The draft advises that those who place equal emphasis on teaching and research referred to as research-intensive universities. Those wh0 place greater emphasis on teaching but still conduct significant research, referred to as teaching-intensive universities; and autonomous degree- granting colleges, which are large multidisciplinary institutions of higher learning that could award undergraduate degrees and are primarily focussed on undergraduate teaching would not be restricted to teaching alone.
Over a period, it is envisaged that every college would develop into either an autonomous degree granting college, or a constituent college of a university.
The NHEQF envisages increased flexibility and choice of courses of study by students, particularly at the undergraduate level. A wide choice of subjects and courses, from year to year, will be the new distinguishing feature of undergraduate education. Students who wish to change one or more of the opted courses within the programme(s) of study that they are pursuing may do so at the beginning of each year, as long as they are able to demonstrate the required prerequisites and the capability to attain the defined learning outcomes after going through the chosen programme and
The draft also envisages the developing capacities of human beings - intellectual, aesthetic, social, physical, emotional, ethical, and moral - in an integrated manner. Such education is expected to help develop well-rounded individuals.
Even engineering institutions are expected to move towards more holistic and multidisciplinary education with more arts, humanities, and social sciences. Students of arts and humanities are expected to learn more science, and all will try to incorporate more vocational subjects and soft skills.
System
The HE system is at the core of USAID’s Higher Education Program Framework. The HE system is made up of both policies and norms, as well as the organizations and individuals that deliver or consume higher education. The system has three primary functions or pathways for creating impact, as depicted by the three intersecting circles. These are to:
- Provide quality and relevant education and workforce training
- Engage and strengthen networks and communication
- Advance knowledge and research
Although they might not invest in all three functions at the same time, higher education institutions (HEIs) and their partners play a key role in each of these functions.
Outcomes
The overarching outcome of all of USAID’s programming, including in HE is to advance a country’s journey to self-reliance. To achieve this vision through its HE programming, three key outcomes USAID focuses on are:
- Developing the capacity of individuals and HEIs so that they can improve their performance.
- Strengthening partnerships and transnational relationships that can sustain performance improvement.
- Promoting higher education as a central actor in developing local solutions to local problems. The potential of HEIs to serve as central actors in crisis response and locally-led development has been tested in 2020 as these institutions have had to respond to the global pandemic.
A complementary resource alongside the HE program framework is the HE COVID Response Landscape Map. In addition to contributing to the growing knowledge base around COVID-19’s impacts on HE and the role HEIs played in the local response, this analysis provides important insights into opportunities for improvement in crisis response, development of best practices, and potential areas of research for the Agency-side HE Learning Agenda.
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