NEP 2020: Gujarat Education Department identifies 12 colleges to be converted into Universities

Gujarat Education Department has identified 12 colleges that can be converted into Universities.

After several discussions with stakeholders on the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Gujarat Education Department has shortlisted 12 colleges, one in each district that can be converted into universities. The new National Education Policy 2020 has proposed that every district should have at least one Univerisity. Following that, the state government under its immediate implementation plan has identified 12 districts not having universities– Aravalli, Bharuch, Botad, Chhota Udepur, Dang, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Dahod, Amreli, Mahisagar, Morbi, Porbandar and Tapi.

The state government has also identified one college each in these 12 districts that are can be run as a University. These include both technical and non-technical as well as government and grant-in-aid colleges. Out of these 12, nine are grant in aid, three are government and two women's’ colleges.

“This is one of the recommendations by the National Education Policy. Apart from the colleges, we are also looking at the capabilities of the district to sustain a university. Though this would be developed over time, initial process has commenced,” said Principal Secretary, Education, Anju Sharma.

The new National Education Policy also includes a provision that each taluka needs to have a college. For this, the education department has identified 18 out of total of 251 talukas that do not have a single college. These include two from Anand district — Tarapur and Amreth —and two from Tapi-Kukarmunda and Dolvan talukas. Ahmedabad’s Dholera taluka, too, does not have a college.

The other reforms listed in the NEP 2020 that has been categorised by the state education department under “immediate action” are the identification of various bachelor courses and programmes to be run as four years, three year or one-year courses, identification of various master courses and programmes to be run as two year or one-year programmes, online classes in higher education, evening classes to be conducted by higher education institutes, the appointment of institutional mentors and establishment of a board of governors in higher education institutes for governance and monitoring system.

Read More:

• NEP 2020: Meghalaya to be the first state to implement new National Education Policy; says Chief Minister
• NEP 2020: Education Ministry asks teachers for suggestion on implementation of National Education Policy