Questions on NEP cut in academic autonomy of universities Mysuru News – Times of India

Mysuru: The decision of the state government to implement the National Education Policy 2020 in first year undergraduate courses from this academic year has created many confusions in the higher education sector.
A recent communication from the Karnataka State Council of Higher Education (KSHEC) indicates that the state’s higher education department has curtailed the academic autonomy of universities.
As per the latest instruction issued by KSHEC to the Vice Chancellors, they have been warned against changing the course material. The Vice Chancellors are informed that the Council has received complaints that the Board of Studies (BoS) is reducing the content of the subject and effecting drastic changes in the content of the main paper as per their wish and desire.
It has been warned that if they do so, it will affect the credit transfer and mobility of the students. This will also create a problem of equality. The content of the basic papers of any subject will be more or less the same in almost all the universities. The VC is warned against teachers reducing material simply because they cannot teach them.
All the Vice Chancellors have also been asked to follow the national norms.
“Even in the most developed countries like USA and UK, teachers are given autonomy to design the curriculum. All these years in Karnataka, the BoS were designing the curriculum as per the local needs. However, this year it has been imposed by KSHEC. It has affected autonomy,” said a senior professor.
According to a lecturer from Chamarajanagar, the syllabus of the first year degree colleges is yet to be notified officially.
When contacted, Mysore University Vice Chancellor G Hemantha Kumar denied any major problem in the implementation of NEP 2020. “When the semester system was introduced, there were protests for almost a year. Some are complaining as a problem in future.
“There may be some teething problems. Soon all will be resolved.”
“NEP has a philosophy. If this is not followed properly, NEP will become a more common practice. To take advantage of the system, we need to implement the new system properly.”
KSHEC vice-chairman B Thimegowda denied all the allegations. “I am available to clarify any doubts. The course committees had members from all universities, autonomous colleges, subject experts. Hence, all these complaints are baseless and baseless.”