Reimagining Indian Higher Education through the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF): A Policy Analysis and Transformative Paradigm under NEP 2020

Mr. Ganesh Shrirang Nale (Satarkar) is a scholar in the Department of Sociology at the Central University of Haryana, Mahendragarh (Haryana, India). He is actively engaged in interdisciplinary academic research focusing on higher education policy, social transformation, and governance. His work primarily examines structural reforms in Indian education, particularly under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with a special emphasis on competency-based learning, qualification frameworks, and institutional transformation. As a researcher and academic contributor, he has participated in scholarly discourse related to educational reforms, policy analysis, and socio-educational development. His research contributes to the growing body of literature on India’s transition toward a globally aligned, flexible, and outcome-driven higher education system. Keywords and Subjects (in Paragraph Form) This study focuses on key themes such as the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF), National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, higher education reforms in India, outcome-based education, competency-based learning, National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), multidisciplinary and holistic education, academic mobility, credit transfer systems, Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), lifelong learning, employability and skill development, global education standards, qualification frameworks, and policy transformation. The subject area of this research lies at the intersection of higher education policy, sociology of education, public policy, and educational governance, with analytical emphasis on structural reforms, institutional transformation, and global comparability of educational systems. Publishing Information Details Journal Name: FIDDLEHEAD ISSN: 0015-0630 Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Year of Publication: 2026 Page Range: 1–8 Publisher: Fiddlehead Academic Journal (Scholarly Publication Platform) Article Type: Research Article / Policy Analysis Language: English Peer Review Status: Presumed Peer-Reviewed Academic Journal DOI: Not Mentioned Corresponding Author Contact: Email: [email protected] Mobile: +91 7066766607