Chapter 4 · Topic 4.2 · Prelims + Mains2 of 3
Education: NEP and higher education
Key points
- NEP 2020.
- Quality and autonomy.
9 PYQs 2016–2026
Prelims box: facts and traps
| NEP 2020 change | Detail |
|---|---|
| School structure | 5+3+3+4 replaces 10+2 |
| Language | Mother tongue or local language as medium, preferably till Class 5 |
| Higher education | Four-year undergraduate degree; multiple entry and exit; Academic Bank of Credits |
| Targets | Gross Enrolment Ratio of 50% in higher education by 2035; public spending of 6% of GDP. |
- Measured status: the All India Survey on Higher Education 2021-22 reports a Gross Enrolment Ratio of 28.4% for ages 18 to 23.
- UGC regulations of 2023 now allow top foreign universities to open campuses in India, and some have set up in GIFT City and elsewhere.
- The IIM Act, 2017 gave IIMs the power to award degrees and run their own boards, and the Institutions of Eminence scheme gives selected universities more freedom.
NEP 2020
| NEP 2020 change | Detail |
|---|---|
| School structure | 5+3+3+4 replaces 10+2 |
| Language | Mother tongue or local language as medium, preferably till Class 5 |
| Higher education | Four-year undergraduate degree; multiple entry and exit; Academic Bank of Credits |
| Targets | Gross Enrolment Ratio of 50% in higher education by 2035; public spending of 6% of GDP |
National Education Policy 2020.
Mains 2020 said National Education Policy 2020 is in conformity with the Sustainable Development Goal-4 (2030) and asked candidates to examine its plan to restructure the system. Fit with SDG 4: universal access from pre-school, foundational learning, vocational exposure from Class 6 and inclusion through Special Education Zones. Concerns: the 6% spending goal has not been met, the language policy is disputed in some States, and a single higher education regulator is still a proposal.
National Education Policy 2020 is in conformity with the Sustainable Development Goal-4 (2030). It intends to restructure and reorient education system in India. Critically examine the statement.
Measured status: the All India Survey on Higher Education 2021-22 reports a Gross Enrolment Ratio of 28.4% for ages 18 to 23. The NEP aim of 50% by 2035 is a target.
Quality, autonomy and global reach
Mains 2015 said the quality of higher education in India requires major improvements to make it internationally competitive, and asked whether the entry of foreign educational institutions would help. UGC regulations of 2023 now allow top foreign universities to open campuses in India, and some have set up in GIFT City and elsewhere. Gains: competition, research links and fewer students going abroad. Limits: high fees, small scale and the need to fix Indian universities themselves.
The quality of higher education in India requires major improvements to make it internationally competitive. Do you think that the entry of foreign educational institutions would help improve the quality of higher and technical education in the country? Discuss.
Mains 2014 asked whether the premier institutes like IITs/IIMs should be allowed to retain premier status, with more academic independence. The IIM Act, 2017 gave IIMs the power to award degrees and run their own boards, and the Institutions of Eminence scheme gives selected universities more freedom. Autonomy works best with accountability for fees, diversity and research output.
Should the premier institutes like IITs/IIMs be allowed to retain premier status, allowed more academic independence in designing courses, and also decide mode/criteria of selection of students? Discuss in light of the growing challenges.
Prelims 2016 asked what ‘SWAYAM ’ aims at: providing affordable and quality education to the citizens for free, through online courses, answer (d). Prelims 2017 asked about ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan ’: connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges through appropriate technologies, answer (b).
‘SWAYAM’, an initiative of the Government of India, aims at
- promoting the Self Help Groups in rural areas
- providing financial and technical assistance to young start-up entrepreneurs
- promoting the education and health of adolescent girls
- providing affordable and quality education to the citizens for free
Show answer
Answer: (d) · UPSC official key
What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ ? education system and local communities. through appropriate technologies. ✓ power. poor, and organizing skill development programmes and vocational training for them.
- Achieving 100% literacy by promoting collaboration between voluntary organizations and government’s
- Connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges
- Strengthening India’s scientific research institutions in order to make India a scientific and technological
- Developing human capital by allocating special funds for health care and education of rural and urban
Show answer
Answer: (b) · UPSC official key
Mains box: analysis and answer points
- Limits: high fees, small scale and the need to fix Indian universities themselves.
- Limits: high fees, small scale and the need to fix Indian universities themselves.
- Autonomy works best with accountability for fees, diversity and research output.
- Likely next angle: GER 28.4% (2021-22)
- Asked: Mains 2020 (GS Paper II, 15 marks): National Education Policy 2020 is in conformity with the Sustainable Development Goal-4 (2030). It intends to restructure and reorient education system in India. Critically examine the statement.
- Asked: Mains 2015 (GS Paper II, 12.5 marks): The quality of higher education in India requires major improvements to make it internationally competitive. Do you think that the entry of foreign educational institutions would help improve the quality of higher and technical education in the country? Discuss.
Practice
Prelims PYQs on this topic (6)
What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan connects higher education institutions with local communities (b). Launched in 2014 and coordinated by IIT Delhi, it asks higher education institutions to adopt nearby villages (at least five each). Students and teachers then use suitable technologies to solve local problems in water, energy, farming, sanitation and livelihoods. It is not a literacy mission (a), a science research upgrade (c), or a skill and welfare fund (d).
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 (2018) opened it to all higher education institutions, and thousands have joined. Notice how it links with NEP 2020's call for community engagement and with the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, where MPs adopt villages.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the funds under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), which of the following statements are correct ?
- 1. MPLADS funds must be used to create durable assets like physical infrastructure for health, education, etc.
- 2. A specified portion of each MP’s fund must benefit SC/ST populations.
- 3. MPLADS funds are sanctioned on yearly basis and the unused funds cannot be carried forward to the next year.
- 4. The district authority must inspect at least 10% of all works under implementation every year.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (d) & explanation
Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct (d). Under MPLADS, started in 1993, each MP gets ₹5 crore a year for local works. Statement 1 is right because the money must be used for durable community assets, such as roads, school buildings, health centres and drinking water. Statement 2 is right because at least 15% must go to areas with SC people and 7.5% to areas with ST people. Statement 4 is right because the district authority must inspect at least 10% of works each year. Statement 3 is wrong because MPLADS funds are non-lapsable: unspent money carries forward to the next year.
The scheme was suspended for two years in 2020–22 to fund COVID relief. Notice the 2023 guidelines, which moved funds to an online e-SAKSHI portal for tracking.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. As per the Right to Education (RTE) Act, to be eligible for appointment as a teacher in a State, a person would be required to possess the minimum qualification laid down by the concerned State Council of Teacher Education.
- 2. As per the RTE Act, for teaching primary classes, a candidate is required to pass a Teacher Eligibility Test conducted in accordance with the National Council of Teacher Education guidelines.
- 3. In India, more than 90% of teacher education institutions are directly under the State Governments.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 1 is wrong because, under Section 23 of the RTE Act, 2009, minimum teacher qualifications are set by the academic authority named by the Centre. That authority is the NCTE, not a State council. Statement 2 is right because passing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), held under NCTE guidelines, is compulsory for teaching Classes 1–8. Statement 3 is wrong because over 90% of teacher-education institutions are privately run, not government ones. The Justice J. S. Verma Commission (2012) pointed this out.
The CTET is held by the CBSE. In 2025, the Supreme Court said TET is compulsory for serving teachers too. Notice the reform under NEP 2020: the four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
What is the purpose of ‘Vidyanjali Yojana’ ?
- 1. To enable the famous foreign educational institutions to open their campuses in India.
- 2. To increase the quality of education provided in government schools by taking help from the private sector and the community.
- 3. To encourage voluntary monetary contributions from private individuals and organizations so as to improve the infrastructure facilities for primary and secondary schools.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (a). Vidyanjali, launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Education (then MHRD), links volunteers such as retired teachers, professionals, NRIs and community members with government schools. They help with teaching, reading and co-curricular activities, improving quality with the support of the community and private sector (2). Statement 1 is wrong because foreign campuses are governed by separate UGC regulations (2023). Statement 3 is wrong because, when the question was set, Vidyanjali was about volunteering, not money.
The later Vidyanjali 2.0 portal (2021) added donations of assets, equipment and materials. Notice how this fits NEP 2020's focus on community involvement and on school complexes.
Answer for 2017. The later portal's donation feature does not change this key.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
‘Mission Indradhanush’ launched by the Government of India pertains to
Answer (a) & explanation
Mission Indradhanush (December 2014) is about the immunisation of children and pregnant women (a). It targets children under two and pregnant women who were missed or left partly vaccinated under routine immunisation. It has nothing to do with smart cities (b), which come under the Smart Cities Mission, space research for Earth-like planets (c), or the education policy (d).
The seven rainbow colours first stood for seven vaccine-preventable diseases; more vaccines were added later. Intensified Mission Indradhanush pushed coverage further, and the U-WIN portal now tracks doses digitally. Notice how it supports the Universal Immunisation Programme, one of the largest in the world.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
‘SWAYAM’, an initiative of the Government of India, aims at
Answer (d) & explanation
SWAYAM gives free, quality education to all (d). SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) was launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Education (then MHRD). It is a free MOOC platform with courses from Class 9 to postgraduate level. National coordinators include NPTEL, IGNOU, UGC-CEC, NCERT and NIOS, and universities can count up to 40% of a programme's credits from it. It is not about Self Help Groups (a), start-up finance (b), or adolescent girls (c), which come under schemes like DAY-NRLM, Startup India and SABLA.
Its sister tool SWAYAM Prabha runs free DTH education channels. Notice how this fits the NEP 2020 push for blended learning and the Academic Bank of Credits.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Mains PYQs on this topic (3)
- UPSC Mains 2026 · GS Paper II · Q18Should education be treated primarily as a welfare obligation of the state or as a strategic investment for building a globally competitive, knowledge-driven nation? Critically evaluate.How to approach: Intro: Article 21A and NEP 2020. Body: welfare view; strategic-investment view; risks of each extreme; synthesis with policy steps. Conclusion.
- UPSC Mains 2024 · GS Paper II · Q11What are the aims and objects of recently passed and enforced, The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024? Whether University/State Education Board examinations, too, are covered under the Act?How to approach: Intro: context of leaks. Body: (1) Aims and objects; (2) Key provisions; (3) Coverage; (4) Gaps. Conclusion: The Act is a strong deterrent.
- UPSC Mains 2023 · GS Paper II · Q18Skill development programmes have succeeded in increasing human resources supply to various sectors. In the context of the statement analyse the linkages between education, skill and employment.How to approach: Intro: Skill India (2015), PMKVY, NSDC. Body: (1) Successes: crores trained, ITIs, apprenticeships (NAPS), sector skill councils; (2) Linkages: education builds…
Write an answer
In 150 words, explain the significance of Education with one recent example.
Flashcards (9)
NEP school structure?
5+3+3+4.
NEP GER target?
50% by 2035.
Higher education GER 2021-22?
28.4% (AISHE).
NEP spending target?
6% of GDP.
Foreign campus rules?
UGC regulations, 2023.
IIM degree power from?
IIM Act, 2017.
SWAYAM aims?
Free quality online education.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan?
Links colleges with villages.
Skill India launched?
2015.
Read more: related explainers
In the news
- 24 Oct 2026Panel to review pharma marketing code: UCPMP 2024 and why a voluntary code is not enough
- 22 Oct 2026FSSAI notices to Nestlé and Zydus over baby-food and Complan claims: what the rules say
- 19 Oct 2026NMC withdraws MSMER-2023: medical colleges lose the fixed penalty rulebook, annual disclosure stays
- 18 Oct 2026NPPA caps trade margins on 137 anti-cancer drugs: prices to fall up to 70% from 9 November
Next topic · 4.3 →Education: Skills, jobs and the demographic dividendSyllabus: GS-II · Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating…