EFFICIENCY OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY (NEP) 2020 ON HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA

Abstract The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the most extensive reform of India's higher education system in over thirty years, was adopted by the Union Cabinet on July 29, 2020. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are expected to become more globally competitive, multidisciplinary, flexible, and research-focused. This paper examines the effectiveness of NEP 2020's implementation across Indian HEIs six years after its introduction. Based on government reports, independent surveys, and recent academic literature, the study concludes that while many institutions have implemented reforms such as the Academic Bank of Credits, the Choice-Based Credit System, and the four-year undergraduate programme on paper, actual outcomes remain unclear. Issues such as insufficient funding, faculty preparedness, and digital infrastructure continue to impede efficiency, and urban and well-funded colleges have advanced more quickly than rural and under-resourced ones. Recommendations for closing this implementation gap are in Section 7. Keywords: NEP 2020, Higher Education, HEI, India, Policy Implementation, Efficiency