There is an urgent requirement for 500 additional professors to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in colleges across Himachal Pradesh, delegates from the state attending an academic conference in Kurukshetra, stated.
Himachal Pradesh Government College Teachers’ Association (HGCTA), which is currently participating in the 32nd academic conference organised by the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organizations (AIFUCTO), about 100 colleges out of the total 133 in the state do not have regular principals, 50 colleges are operating from private premises, and nearly 30 have only two or three professors, according to an official statement.
Himachal Pradesh is set to become the first state to implement the NEP in colleges starting from the present academic session. However, he has also cautioned that implementing the policy without adequate infrastructure and an adequate number of teachers could lead to disastrous consequences, R.L. Sharma, general secretary, HGCTA, announced.
Sharma emphasised the importance of communication and discussions between teachers and policymakers to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the policy before its implementation. He further stated that implementing the NEP in the current academic session is impractical without proper infrastructure and administration, as per the statement.
During the conference, delegates from different parts of the country expressed grave concerns about a relentless attack on higher education from all directions. According to them, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is sending notices to organise seminars on topics that are “completely detached from reality and logic”.
With inputs from PTI.