NEP 2020: Achieving 50% GER in Higher Education Through a Federated Strategy

By 2035, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to raise the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for the 18–23 age group from 28.4% to 50%. Assuming that a single, centrally mandated blueprint will be sufficient would be a major strategic error in this vast national project. India’s future in higher education will be shaped by the many socioeconomic contexts of its States, not just Delhi.

NEP 2020: Achieving 50% GER in Higher Education Through a Federated Strategy

The 50% GER target is not a mere incremental change. It is a social change that necessitates the admission of an extra 33 million youth to our universities and colleges. Therefore, policymakers must acknowledge that a uniform strategy will unavoidably fail to address the profound disparities that define our nation.

Hence, the policy movement forward has to be federated. Compared to a state like Tamil Nadu, which has nearly achieved the national GER target, Bihar, which is only beginning to climb, confronts essentially different obstacles.