Students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds require encouragement and support to make a successful transition to higher education. Thus, as per the policy, universities and colleges will be required to set up high-quality support centres and will be given adequate funds and academic resources to carry this out effectively. There will also be professional academic and career counselling available to all students, as well as counsellors to ensure physical, psychological, and emotional well-being.

Financial assistance to students shall be made available through various measures. Efforts will be made to incentivize the merit of students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and other SEDGs. The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to support, foster, and track the progress of students receiving scholarships. Private HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) will be encouraged to offer larger numbers of free ships and scholarships to their students.

Entry into quality higher education can open a vast array of possibilities that can lift both individuals as well as communities out of the cycles of disadvantage. For this reason, making quality higher education opportunities available to all individuals must be among the highest priorities. The Policy envisions ensuring equitable access to quality education to all students, with a special emphasis on SEDGs.

The dynamics and also many of the reasons for the exclusion of SEDGs from the education system are common across school and higher education sectors. Therefore, the approach to equity and inclusion must be common across school and higher education. Furthermore, there must be continuity across the stages to ensure sustainable reform. Thus, the policy initiatives required to meet the goals of equity and inclusion in higher education must be read in conjunction with those for school education.

For this purpose, additional actions that are specific to higher education shall be adopted by all Governments and HEIs:

Steps to be taken by Governments:

• 1. Earmark suitable Government funds for the education of SEDGs
• 2. Set clear targets for higher GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) for SEDGs
• 3. Enhance gender balance in admissions to HEIs
• 4. Enhance access by establishing more high-quality HEIs in aspirational districts and Special Education Zones containing larger numbers of SEDGs
• 5. Develop and support high-quality HEIs that teach in local/Indian languages or bilingually
• 6. Provide more financial assistance and scholarships to SEDGs in both public and private HEIs
• 7. Conduct outreach programs on higher education opportunities and scholarships among SEDGs
• 8. Develop and support technology tools for better participation and learning outcomes.

Steps to be taken by all HEI’s (Higher Education Institutions):

• 1. Mitigate opportunity costs and fees for pursuing higher education
• 2. Provide more financial assistance and scholarships to socio-economically disadvantaged students
• 3. Conduct outreach on higher education opportunities and scholarships
• 4. Make admissions processes more inclusive
• 5. Make the curriculum more inclusive
• 6. Increase the employability potential of higher education programs
• 7. Develop more degree courses taught in Indian languages and bilingually
• 8. Ensure all buildings and facilities are wheelchair-accessible and disabled-friendly
• 9. Develop bridge courses for students that come from disadvantaged educational backgrounds
• 10. Provide socio-emotional and academic support and mentoring for all such students through suitable counseling and mentoring programs
• 11. Ensure sensitization of faculty, counselor, and students on the gender-identity issue and its inclusion in all aspects of the HEI, including curricula
• 12. Strictly enforce all no-discrimination and anti-harassment rules
• 13. Develop Institutional Development Plans that contain specific plans for action on increasing participation from SEDGs, including but not limited to the above items.

We also need to reimagine vocational education as per the policy. The 12^th Five-Year Plan (2012–2017) estimated that only a very small percentage of the Indian workforce in the age group of 19–24 (less than 5%) received formal vocational education. Whereas in countries such as the USA the number is 52%, in Germany 75%, and South Korea it is as high as 96%.

These numbers only underline the urgency of the need to hasten the spread of vocational education in India. Vocational education is perceived to be inferior to mainstream education and meant largely for students who are unable to cope with the latter. This is a perception that affects the choices students make. It is a serious concern that can only be dealt with by a complete re-imagination of how vocational education is offered to students in the future. This policy aims to overcome the social status hierarchy associated with vocational education and requires the integration of vocational education programs into mainstream education in all educational institutions in a phased manner.

Beginning with vocational exposure at early ages in middle and secondary school, quality vocational education will be integrated smoothly into higher education. It will ensure that every child learns at least one vocation and is exposed to several more. This would lead to emphasizing the dignity of labour and the importance of various vocations involving Indian arts and artisanship. By 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to vocational education, for which a clear action plan with targets and timelines will be developed. This is in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 4.4 and will help to realize the full potential of India’s demographic dividend. Higher education institutions will offer vocational education either on their own or in partnership with industry and NGOs.

The Policy commits to significantly raising educational investment, as there is no better investment towards a society’s future than the high-quality education of our young people. Unfortunately, public expenditure on education in India has not come close to the recommended level of 6% of GDP, as envisaged by the 1968 Policy, reiterated in the Policy of 1986, and which was further reaffirmed in the 1992 review of the Policy. The current public (Government – Centre and States) expenditure on education in India has been around 4.43% of GDP (Analysis of Budgeted Expenditure 2017-18) and only around 10% of the total Government spending towards education (Economic Survey 2017-18). These numbers are far smaller than most developed and developing countries.

In order to attain the goal of education with excellence and the corresponding multitude of benefits to this Nation and its economy, this Policy unequivocally endorses and envisions a substantial increase in public investment in education by both the Central government and all State Governments. The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in the Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest. This is considered extremely critical for achieving the high-quality and equitable public education system that is truly needed for India’s future economic, social, cultural, intellectual, and technological progress and growth.

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About the Author

Manik loves to spend time with his family, listening inquisitively to the stories his grandparents share. He has always been passionate about helping society and thus gave up his Investment Banking career to pursue his passion. Having majored in finance, he wishes to increase financial literacy and awareness in the country.