Congress MP Digvijay Singh. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, headed by senior Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, has said in a report tabled in both the Houses of Parliament on Thursday (March 27, 2025) that the Union government must enhance its support to State governments for implementation of the National Education Policy. The panel said compliance with the NEP meant that States would have have to spend substantially on provisions such as dual degree, biannual admissions, four-year degree and multidisciplinary universities.
The panel also observed that barring a few institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Management, there was an unusual decline in placements in IITs, IIITs and NITs between 2021-22 and 2023-24. It asked the Union government to study the reasons behind the decline and address the issue. The panel said data also showed a decline in the average financial package secured by students placed between 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The panel said some reasons for decline in placements could be that students were opting to study further or pursuing opportunities in start-up ventures. “The committee noted that though the placement is dependent on market trends, the Department [concerned] should find out ways and take measures to enhance employability accordingly,” the report said.
The report added that the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education during the last five years had not registered any significant growth. “The committee, therefore, recommends that the percentage of expenditure should be enhanced further in consonance with the NEP’s targets for the year 2035,” the report said.
Set to deliberate on CUET
It said some MPs on the panel were not convinced of the merits of introducing the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) as the universal admissions method for undergraduate studies. “Multiple choice questions are particularly ill-suited for humanities and social sciences disciplines which are definitionally centred on independent, subjective thinking. The committee recommends review of the quality of the question paper and also design of the CUET exam to ensure that it meets the purpose envisaged in the NEP. For instance, the JNU system of test administration was designed to ensure that the university was able to fulfil the criterion of socio-economic and regional diversity and representation mandated by the JNU Act in its admissions,” it said.
“The CUET as the sole entrance examination has its merits, but it does not allow for universities like JNU, with their specific legislative mandates, to meet their specific needs. The committee resolves to deliberate further on the matter,” the report added.
Published – March 27, 2025 10:40 pm IST
