Insights

The National Education Policy (NEP), which was unveiled in 2020, essentially changed the landscape of higher education in the country by establishing for the first time as online and hybrid learning will be seen as being on par with traditional classroom instruction. By doing this, the policy sought to dismantle socioeconomic and geographic barriers to access, stating unequivocally that technology should be used in a way that makes high-quality education accessible to all people, irrespective of their circumstances or place of residence.

Keeping with the NEP's thrust to advance online delivery as a credible and effective medium of learning, the University Grants Commission (UGC) initially permitted 20% of a degree programme to be imparted online; this has since been doubled to 40%. At present, 116 institutions of higher learning offer over 1,100 Open & Distance Learning programmes and 102 institutions offer 544 fully online programmes collectively reaching over 19 lakh students.

Building on the NEP's expressed vision of greater flexibility, modularity and multiple entry/exit points, mechanisms like the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) now make it possible for students to save and carry forward credits between institutions. Mass-scale platforms like SWAYAM, foreseen in the NEP to universalize access to high-quality courses, permit a maximum of 40% of total credits to be obtained through recognized MOOCs.

In the same vein, the new National Digital University (NDU) realizes the policy's vision of a digital infrastructure that shall provide equal access to learning regardless of geographical location.

Tangible progress aside, gaps between planning and implementation remain. NEP acknowledges the "digital divide" between students as a fundamental challenge, a fact that can still be observed in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities wherein students rely on unreliable networks and shared computers. In such situations, the NEP's offer of flexibility can soon become frustration.

Faculty preparedness is also a bottleneck that remains an issue. It does not take much to record lectures and post them online; good online teaching demands considered instructional design, interactive presentation formats, and timely feedback. Without dedicated investment in faculty training, course quality will continue to be uneven across institutions.

Additionally credit mobility, while promising, is still difficult for students to navigate. Without academic counselling, the very freedom it offers can become overwhelming, leading learners to accumulate credits without a clear plan toward a degree or career goal.

While the NEP created equivalency in regulation between the two types of degrees to promote greater acceptability, business opinion tends to rely on the prestige of the institution and not tangible skills, limiting the complete fulfilment of the policy's purpose.

The first five years of the NEP provided online education with regulatory room to expand; the second five must demonstrate it can make a difference. This demands a clear transition from increasing capacity to measuring impact, a conviction well-stated in the policy's plea for 'quality, equity, efficiency, and empirical outcome-based monitoring.'

It begins with filling the last-mile gap. Public–private partnerships can extend stable broadband and low-cost devices to every district, not just the urban centers. Technology might be the delivery vehicle, but without the road, it doesn't go anywhere.

Faculty will need to go beyond delivery of content and transform into digital learning designers who can develop customized, interactive experiences that engage learners and sustain them. This will involve steady investment in training and instructional design support, reflecting the NEP's emphasis on "rigorous training in learner-centric pedagogy…using online teaching platforms".

We also need to measure what counts. Enrolment is simple to track; completion rates, skill acquisition, and employability are more challenging but significantly more valuable. Today, merely around 4% of students who sign up for MOOCs or SWAYAM courses complete them. That's a reminder that success is still being measured more in terms of sign-ups than the skills or opportunities learners actually achieve.

Obviously, outcome-based measurement will create accountability and make trust more robust, both from employers and from students, choosing where to spend their time and money.

Lastly, hybrid and online programs need to be viewed as equal, not second-best. The NEP calls for online learning to be marketed as a "choice for excellence," not an option of last resort. When students choose a blended route because it provides the highest quality of learning experience, not merely because that's what's on offer, attitudes will change. And that's when online learning will have finally arrived.

The merger of industry, academia, and regulators will be necessary for real transformation. Regulators' frameworks need to be adaptable enough to take into account new developments. Universities will need to develop strong online learning environments that offer mentoring, assessment, and interaction. Online learning can become not only similar to old methods but, in many cases, superior to them thanks to new technologies like immersive simulation and AI-based adaptive learning. When used properly, these technologies may personalize education at a level of scale that traditional classrooms just cannot match.

If we provide consistent quality, strong support, and transparent career prospects, online learning will not only level the playing field but will open it wider. A student in Buxar ought to have an equal chance at a world-class degree as a student in Bengaluru. That is the promise of NEP and one that needs to be kept.

Mindfulness can be described as a buzzword in the mental health community nowadays, yet it is what all of us need to strive for. Mental health activist Prakriti Poddar refers to mindfulness as the "modern world's best survival skill".

"It's sort of like a hip fix, but mindfulness isn't a hack. It's the brave, uncomplicated act of showing up fully, just where you are, even when life is a circus," opines Prakriti Poddar, Roundglass Living's global head of mental health and wellbeing.

The mind, she believes, can be a monkey or a maestro, depending on how you train it.

"Independent of others, our minds leap from branch to branch, replaying humiliating memories, plotting catastrophes yet to befall us, or bullying people not even inside the house. Mindfulness is the means we entice this monkey back into the present, breath by curious breath. Long before brain scans confirmed its power, yogis and monks knew that mindful awareness was the key to mastery of life's peaks and troughs. What is new is how waterlogged our minds are these days. Notifications, breaking news, financial worries, doom scrolling etc. It is no wonder inner peace seems like an endangered species," adds Poddar.

Benefits of mindfulness

Mindfulness, as scientifically proven, also has the extra bonus of thickening the areas of your brain that control memory and emotions, in addition to dialing down the stress loops that make you anxious.

"One huge review of over 200 studies concluded that mindfulness can damp down anxiety and improve mood. It actually builds mental resilience, so we're less likely to get sidetracked when life hits us with a curveball," says Poddar.

That is when it is important to pause.

"Imagine you get pierced by sharp criticism at work. Your heart beats faster. Your stomach constricts. You want to strike back or retreat. Mindfulness intervenes like a wise old friend: 'Wait. Feel that? Breathe.' That split second makes all the difference. It is the moment when you choose to respond out of curiosity instead of reactivity. Over time, these little choices lower stress and anxiety, and increase mental and emotional resilience," writes Poddar.

She also calls mindfulness a "calming tool" that reminds us to greet life head-on, with open eyes and an open heart.

"When we are meeting sickness, loss, or failure, it's all too easy to go into fear or helplessness. But mindfulness reminds us: we can't always make what's occurring occur, but we can choose how we meet it. The awareness of that choice can change everything," the expert says.

How to practice mindfulness

You don't have to sit for hours or chant on a mountain top. Mindfulness can hide in plain sight, says Poddar.

In your tea cup

Hold its warmth in your hands, the roll of steam, the initial sip. You've just grounded yourself now.

In traffic

Don't fume, but hold your feet on the floor, your hands on the steering wheel. Take the red light as a reminder to return.

In tough times

When your heart is racing or your throat closes up, label it quietly: "Nervous. Sad. Angry." Labeling quiets the storm. This brings emotional clarity and enables you to welcome yourself with more compassion.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative to tackle mental health, the government will start special OPD facilities for stress management in government hospitals from next month, an official stated. This is being done to ensure that citizens are given easily accessible and organized assistance in dealing with increasing levels of stress, he added.

The scheme will start on an experimental basis in five hospitals, including Tibbia College, and then be rolled out to more locations. The OPDs will serve as support centres for providing patients with timely medical assistance, advice, and lifestyle tips, the officials said.

A unique element of the services will be the employment of AYUSH practices, with tension being tackled through Unani, Homeopathy and meditation. Officials made it clear that while the Unani system will focus on equilibrating the body and mind, homeopathy will take care of things such as sleep and anxiety. Meditation and breathing techniques, they said, would be employed to ensure calmness and mental tranquility.

Health Minister Pankaj Singh stated that the government is keen to make stress management a reality for all. "We are launching this drive from Tibbia College. These would not be costly packages but just plain OPD services. Delhi will be a model in stress-free living through the AYUSH system," he stated. The minister emphasized that the OPDs would not be limited to prescribing medicines. Specialists will advice individuals on lifestyle modification, such as diet, sleep and physical exercise, for long-term health. "There will be an effort to keep individuals healthy and stress-free for a prolonged period," he further said.

According to a recent detailed survey by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), almost a quarter of school children in India are now taking private coaching, a fact that underscores an increasing trend that is most evident in urban districts. The 80 th round of the National Sample Survey, the Comprehensive Modular Survey on Education 2025, is also useful in identifying the difference in education spending and schooling patterns in urban and rural India.

Urban vs Rural: Differences in Private Coaching and School Enrollment

The survey also found that in urban regions, private coaching is more common where 30.7% of the urban students obtain supplemental private tuition while in rural regions 25.5% obtain. Such a trend  shows increased accessibility and readiness of urban families to invest in further education support. Urban households incur an average annual spending of 3,988rs/per student in coaching that is more than twice that incurred by rural households by 1,793rs/per student.

The survey also indicates a distinct gap in the pattern of school enrollment. Rural education is dominated by government schools which admit approximately two-thirds of rural students (66%), with only 30.1% of urban students attending government schools. The private aided and unaided schools combined to enrol approximately 70 percent of students in urban schools, of which the unaided private schools contributed more than half of the city enrolments.

Education levels increase the costs of coaching

The price of private coaching jumps significantly as grade level rises. The families of urban students at the higher secondary level (11 and 12) spend on average an annual amount of Rs 9,950 on coaching at this stage which is more than twice as compared to rural students who spend 4,548. This upward trend in the cost of coaching is noticeable at preschool level with average costs amounting to approximately Rs 525, increasing to the high secondary school costs amounting to Rs 6,384 per students within the country.

Financial Burden and Household Spending Patterns

As well as the increased financial cost of the private coaching, the survey points out the large discrepancies between government and private school expenditure on overall education. Average spending by families with children in government schools on education is Rs 2,863 per capita per year, whereas spending in non-government schools is almost nine times that, or Rs 25,002. The students of the private schools are primarily paying course fees (95.7%), as compared to only 25% in the government schools.

Transportation, uniforms and books are other serious educational costs, and they are even more expensive in urban families that also incur heavy tuition and coaching costs. Such differences highlight the existing differences in access and affordability of quality education in urban and rural India. 

Growing Influence of Private Coaching in Indian education sector

The increase in private  coaching, also known as shadow education, reflects the desire of parents to achieve higher academic results in the conditions of high competition to get access to good university places and to find a career. Although the government schools continue to play a vital role as a form of rural education, the increased need of taking private coaching in the urban sector is an indication of greater socioeconomic changes in terms of aspirations and educational investments.

As the National Education Policy of India tries to enhance equitable access and quality, the results of this survey bring up some vital questions regarding the contribution of private coaching to intensifying education disparities and financial strains at the household level. Policymakers should take a cautious look at interventions that both correct the merits and the drawbacks of the booming private coaching market, as well as enhancing the state education system.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is a statutory organisation in India that coordinates and maintains the standards of higher education in India. It was established under the UGC Act 1956 under the Ministry of Education and plays a crucial role in regulating universities and colleges, providing quality education to millions of students.

The Role and the Importance of the UGC

UGC's primary work is to prescribe minimum standards to the universities in terms of teaching, examination, and research. It accredits universities and colleges and allocates funds on this basis so that only institutions of quality may offer valid degrees. This makes sure students get credible, high-quality education, which is accepted both nationally and internationally.

Besides financing, UGC sets policy guidelines on curriculum, teaching staff qualification, admission and guidelines for scholarship eligibility and distribution. It serves to connect the Central and State governments and higher educational institutions, providing recommendations for policies that enhance the standards of university education in India.

New Updates and Reforms

In 2025, UGC implemented new regulations to be in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020, including increased flexibility for students, including:

1. Multiple exits and entrants in degree programs, including the possibility of certificates, diplomas or degrees being offered based on the number of years of study. 
2. Better access with bi-annual admission cycles.
3. The liberty to take any study irrespective of the previous studies.
4. Incorporation of skills training into the degree programs.

These reforms are to make education in higher institutions more flexible, competency-based, and accessible to a wide range of learners.

How does UGC benefit Indian Students? 

Students have UGC to thank because, without it, degrees obtained in recognised universities would not be valuable and educational standards would not be consistent. It also implies that students have the opportunity to receive scholarships such as Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) to pursue research careers. Prominent exams like the UGC NET, which qualify candidates for college teaching and research posts, are conducted by the UGC.

The relevance of UGC in the Indian education system

In India, there are more than a thousand universities and tens of thousands of colleges. UGC tries to make sure that these institutions are consistent with their quality, transparency and accountability. Without UGC regulations, higher education may end up in a chaotic state with no uniformity, and students across India will be adversely affected. Moreover, the Indian education image at the global scale will be questionable without it.

Summary of Learning For Students:

• UGC is the higher education regulator in India
• UGC is the body which provides recognition to universities.
• It provides quality assurance in education across disciplines and institutions.
• UGC distributes finances, administers grants and policies.
• The latest UGC reforms facilitate fluid learning and integration of skills.
• UGC NET is an important exam for aspiring teachers and scholars.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin launched the Tamil Nadu State Education Policy – School Education on August 8, 2025 reaffirming the state's two-language policy of learning only Tamil and English and the long-standing demand towards restoration of education under the State List. Stalin termed it as "a vision document for the future" specific to the state's "distinctive character" to form an inclusive, fair, robust and future-proof school education system that enhances every child's potential, provides all-around development, maintains social justice and equips the kids with futuristic technical knowledge and values based on the state rich cultural heritage. The policy has been framed on the lines of the suggestions of the 14-member panel headed by Justice D Murugesan, ex-chief justice of the Delhi high court. The establishment of the committee was driven by the Tamil Nadu government in April 2022.

The basic challenge of "Basic Literacy and Numeracy" (BLN) with inclusive orientation to the Ennum Ezhuthum Mission (2022-2025) of TNSEP-School Education 2025 must be viewed in perspective of the overall situation of school education in the State and the prevailing ground realities as a comparative analysis of the vision and the reality.

The most elementary learning requirement of reading, writing, and arithmetic skills at the basic level must be taken seriously. The 2022 Annual Status of Education Research (ASER) report states that nearly 60% of the students at the country level study in Class V were unable to read a Class II level text and the 2023 report states that 25 per cent of the children in the age group of 14-18 years were unable to read a Class-II level text smoothly in their mother tongue/local language. This research also disclosed that 40% of the kids belonging to the same age group mentioned above were unable to read English sentences and the learning results for basic numeracy skills such as division and subtraction is also dismal.

The issue of teacher shortages is still unabated for more than a decade and half in Tamil Nadu and the policy must tackle this crisis at the stage of policy implementation in view of the existing situation of numerous state government schools operated with a single or two teachers and in the majority of situations with the assistance of casual contract staff.

One of the most important elements of the TNSEP–School Education 2025 is making the Tamil language compulsory in all school boards such as CBSE, ICSE and the State Board up to Class 10.

The government's choice to keep the board examinations for Classes 10 and 12 only, and not for Class 11 on the grounds that Class 11 can be transformed as a preparatory and bridging year with emphasis on enrichment of subject matter, skill acquisition, and preparatory readiness through on-going, competency-based internal assessment system in a stress-free environment is a policy of dual opportunities and challenges.

The government of Tamil Nadu must reconsider the "no-detention" policy for Classes 1-8 by keeping the "no-detention" policy from Class I to Class V and incorporating a just, open and inclusive assessment mechanism (examination system) for the Classes 6-8 in full consideration of the varied learning difficulties, skills, conditions and environment of children. All assessment techniques and models of examination are not punitive or penalizing as the policy indicates. The effective execution of the BLN plan and language education has an intrinsic relationship with teacher motivation, teaching pedagogy and on-going evaluation system. This also demands more extensive teacher training and ongoing teacher education/evaluation which is mostly missing under the present school education system.

The policy reaffirms the two-language policy of the state – Tamil and English – turning down the three – language formula recommended by the NEP-2020. The Tamil Nadu's two-language policy comes across as a possible study or model for some states that are eager to reconsider their three-language policy, particularly in Karnataka. It is as important to reinforce the language learning system of the state and correct imbalances/challenges in mother tongue education at the primary level and standardization of English language instruction and performance/assessment of Tamil and English as medium of instruction for science and social science subjects in the state-funded government schools for upper primary and middle levels.

The issues of admission, attendance and the dropping out of hill district and tribal area children are also directly linked to the dialectic/linguistic challenges rather than normally conceived ability to learn issues as assigned to tribal children in these regions. This involves motivation and appointment of teachers belonging to the local tribal population as special measures apart from recognizing the issue of teacher absentees in such places which is prevalent on account of lack of empathy, motivation and identification among the teachers who are posted from outside the local/tribal population. The differences in Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), dropout rates, learning achievements among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority and tribal population must be met with special attention and area wise focus.

Tamil Nadu is the first state to officially adopt its own school education policy in the nation indicative of increasing movement in the nation for educational autonomy and raising questions about the future trajectory of National Education Policy-2020. While this action is regarded as political and pedagogical response(s) to the NEP-2020 but educationists and critics opine there are a number of pedagogical concerns and challenges like the NEP-2020. The education policy, being futuristic and technology oriented, should be reinforced by the Tamil Nadu government to a better extent by revising its present allocation of 13.7% of the total budget for education considering the state budget allocation of 30% towards education like that of the Government of Karnataka.

The spending(s) on education and Research & Development are, in reality, an investment for the future in addition to solving the issues of insufficiency of funds and shortages of money of some existing scientific and technological projects. The state ought to establish a more secure and corpus funding than subjecting the state education to the instability and weakness of private and corporate funding.