How Jamia Hamdard effectively implemented NEP 2020

The National Education Policy 2020 was envisioned as a framework through which Indian higher education could be restructured around flexibility, multidisciplinarity and quality. A policy of such scope, however, is only as meaningful as the manner in which it is implemented, and it is this question of effective implementation that was placed at the centre of institutional planning at Jamia Hamdard between 2021 and 2026. Rather than being treated as a set of directives to be formally noted, the policy's provisions were converted into measurable academic and administrative practice.

A multidisciplinary curriculum structure was among the earliest reforms undertaken. Rigid departmental boundaries were loosened, and students were given the option of combining courses across schools of pharmacy, medicine, engineering, management and humanities. Through this restructuring, a foundation was laid for the kind of breadth that NEP 2020 had called for, and the university's traditional strength in pharmaceutical and health sciences was preserved even as new academic pathways were opened.

The Academic Bank of Credits was integrated into the university's examination and academic systems, and multiple entry and exit options were made available to undergraduate students. Through these mechanisms, learners who needed to pause their studies for personal, financial or professional reasons were no longer required to forfeit the credits already earned. This flexibility was regarded as one of the more consequential changes brought about by the policy, since it altered the relationship between the institution and the student from one of rigid progression to one of accommodated pathways. Indian Knowledge Systems were given particular emphasis during this period, in keeping with both the letter of NEP 2020 and the university's own scholarly inheritance. Jamia Hamdard's century-old association with Unani medicine positioned it uniquely for this task, and courses and research initiatives were designed through which classical systems of medicine, Sufi philosophical traditions and indigenous scientific knowledge were brought into dialogue with contemporary curricula. Rather than being treated as a symbolic gesture, this integration was approached as a serious academic exercise, and scholars from within the university were drawn upon to ensure that rigour was not sacrificed for the sake of relevance.

Skill development and vocational training were woven into academic programmes across disciplines, in accordance with the policy's insistence that employability be treated as a core outcome of higher education rather than an afterthought. Internships, industry linkages and hands-on training components were made mandatory in several programmes, and it was ensured that these were not reduced to token exercises but were built into the credit structure itself.

Research output was strengthened considerably during this period, and this strengthening was reflected in the university's improved standing in the National Institutional Ranking Framework, particularly within the pharmacy category, where Jamia Hamdard has consistently been placed among the leading institutions of the country. The university was also awarded an A+ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, and this outcome was regarded as external, independent confirmation that the reforms undertaken were not merely procedural but had produced a demonstrable effect on teaching, research and governance.

Governance itself was reformed in ways that were less visible to the public but were, in many respects, foundational to everything else that was achieved. Compliance frameworks under the University Grants Commission, the National Medical Commission, the All India Council for Technical Education, the Pharmacy Council of India and the Bar Council of India were strengthened, and procurement processes were brought into closer alignment with General Financial Rules and the oversight expectations of the Comptroller and Auditor General. It was recognised early in the tenure that academic reform without administrative discipline tends to remain superficial, and considerable effort was therefore invested in ensuring that the two proceeded together. Digital infrastructure was expanded to support the flexibility that NEP 2020 demanded. Learning management systems were upgraded, and blended and online components were incorporated into programmes where appropriate, without allowing the university's traditional strength in laboratory-based and clinical education to be diluted. Faculty development was treated as a continuing priority throughout this period. Workshops, training programmes and orientation sessions were organised on subjects ranging from outcome-based education to generative artificial intelligence, and it was through these sessions that faculty members were equipped to translate policy intent into classroom practice.

None of these efforts were undertaken without difficulty, and it is precisely in the handling of such difficulty that effective implementation is distinguished from formal compliance. Resistance was encountered at various points, both from within sections of the academic community that were accustomed to older structures and from the practical constraints imposed by regulatory frameworks that had not yet been fully harmonised with the spirit of NEP 2020. Rather than being allowed to stall progress, these difficulties were addressed through consultation and phased adjustment, and it is acknowledged that the process of implementation remains unfinished in certain respects, as is perhaps true of any policy of this scale and ambition.

Looking back over five years, it can be said that the effectiveness of NEP 2020's implementation at Jamia Hamdard is best measured not by the number of provisions formally adopted but by the extent to which they were embedded into everyday academic and administrative practice. The extent to which this work will be sustained depends on the continued commitment of those who now carry it forward. What can be affirmed with some confidence is that the foundations laid during this period were built with care, and that they were designed to function well beyond any single tenure.

The author served as Vice Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, from 2021 to 2026; Views presented are personal.