NEP 2020 GER 50% Roadmap: Vocational Integration Strategies Indian Universities Must Adopt Now

The Indian higher education system is suffering with less enrollments. With the GER (Gross Enrollment Ratio) at just 28.4% of the 18-23 age group as per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023-24, the NEP 2020 GER target of 50% feels challenging. However, as the era is transforming and the skills are demanded over degrees, vocational integration provides exactly what's needed to boost enrollments . University deans scurrying to adopt NEP should centre their attention in blending skills training and degrees to attract a pool of youth orphaned by hopeless growth. This is not policymaking talk but saving Indian universities in 2026 and beyond. 

GER Crisis: Why Vocational Push is Urgent

The call is urgent because being the most populous country, current GER lags behind global peers. Talking about this, the GER of China is 59% while Brazil is at 52%, and we are still hoping for GER 50% by 2035!

NEP is demanding admissions of 4 crore students by 2035 and for this it requires 1.5 crore seats per year. Class 10 dropout rates stand at 12.6% with young people in the rural areas (70% of the population) avoiding colleges and resorting to fast employment. Vocational education from Class 6, as NEP mandates, can reverse this. After 5 years of NEP, 23 states have reported multidisciplinary frameworks, yet only 10% of colleges have skills credits. Ignoring this part results in vacant chairs and declining NIRF rankings.​

Best Practices: Blueprints on Vocational Integration

1. Credit-Based Skill Embedment: Launch ABC-linked vocational modules like ITI tie-ups for BVoc degrees. The 20% credit in plumbing and EV repair is integrated in Parul University in Gujarat to increase admissions 25 percent in 2024. By 2027, deans are to have 40% vocational credits, based on the NSQF 4-6 levels.​
2. Industry Hubs on Campus: Partner with MSMEs through Skill India hubs. The IBM collab of Chandigarh University gave a placement of 2,000 CSE-Vocational students at an average of ₹9 LPA.. Make 50 centres in each state; 4000 Cr by the government through PMKaushal Vikas Yojana 2.0.​
3. Rural Outreach through Digital + Local Skills: Hybrid BVoc on Agriculture drones and solar tech. SWAYAM can be used to boost GER 15% in Assam Down Town University tribal skill programmes. Goal 1 million rural enrollees through ODL modes -UGC approved 50% online credits.​
4. Incentives to the Dropouts: Multiple entry-exit with ABC allows Class 12 dropouts to obtain certificates, diplomas and degrees. The model at LPU transformed one-third of the diploma graduates into graduates and had an increment of 10,000 seats. Deans: Provide 10,000 stipends through apprenticeships.​
5. Teacher Upskilling: Certificate 10 lakh faculty under NISHTHA 2.0 for vocational delivery. As per the latest data, states such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have achieved the highest percentage of trainer certification.​

Challenges of Deans, and their Fixes

• Funding? Avail ₹1 lakh Cr HEI corpus. 
• Faculty resistance? Connect promotions with vocational KPI. 
• Rural infra gaps? Cash in on 14,500 model schools of PM SHRI.

That reminds me, FLN increased but GER remained without vocational scale-up.​ Thus, adhering to the aforementioned fixes can help meet the GER target. 

The Payoff: Economic, Employment, Country.

Graduates of vocational programmes have salaries that are 20% higher; 1 crore GSK youths can contribute 500 Bn to the GDP by 2030 (NITI Aayog). Universities such as Amity, LPU record 85 percentage points improvement in placements after integrating. In the case of deans, it is NIRF gold: best 100 unis averaged 35% GER increase through skills focus.​

Indian universities cannot afford to sit hand-in-hand. Vocational integration is needed for the GER 50% target of NEP 2020. Deans, do it: redesign, build partnerships, monitor via UDISE+. Remember, it's better to fail while trying, and see competitors fly instead of letting your university be forgotten. Use the given strategies for boosting enrollment from 28.4% to 50% and make your university one of the best universities.  Achieve, and create an employable India. The clock to 2035 ticks louder, take the step NOW!