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NEP SAARTHI Corner: UGC Highlights Student-Led NEP 2020 Initiatives in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow : The student voice in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is becoming prominent in the higher education sector. The University Grants Commission (UGC), in its latest “NEP SAARTHI Corner”, identifies student ambassadors who are leading the way in some universities and higher education institutions in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The new list includes 4 institutions from Madhya Pradesh and 8 from Uttar Pradesh, with UGC describing what they call “ Student Ambassadors ” as those who advocate for NEP 2020.
UGC’s NEP SAARTHI Corner Places Students in the Limelight
UGC’s latest NEP SAARTHI Corner features Student Ambassadors who are associated with:
Madhya Pradesh
- Dr. C.V. Raman University
- G. H. Raisoni University
- P.K. University
- People's University
- Uttar Pradesh
- Amity University
- Dayalbagh Educational Institute
- Bennett University
- IILM University
- IIMT University
- IMS
- Jaypee Institute of Information Technology
- Jaypee University
These Student Ambassadors are leading various initiatives, and the audience is encouraged to follow the weekly NEP SAARTHI Corner to find out how students are creating an awareness around NEP 2020. The weekly NEP SAARTHI Corner is starting to move away from policy documents and is placing people in the spotlight. It tells us who is expected to make the reforms on campus.
What Is the NEP SAARTHI Initiative?
NEP SAARTHI stands for Student Ambassador for Academic Reform in Transforming Higher Education in India. The UGC launched the initiative to provide students the opportunity to become reform actors within higher education and the implementation of NEP 2020. As per the UGC material, Student Ambassadors should be active participants in the process of reform and policy implementation at the grassroots.
The UGC launched the initiative in 2023, and revised guidelines were issued in 2024. The UGC's current UTSAH portal contains the Revised Guidelines for NEP SAARTHI, which were published in August 2024, along with later revisions and a listing of NEP SAARTHIs.
Why Student Ambassadors Matter for NEP 2020
The changes envisaged in NEP 2020 impact the curriculum and the adoption of multi-disciplinary education by fostering employable skills through flexibility and a focus on Indian knowledge systems within higher education and technology-integrated learning, and other related areas. The student ambassador model has a clear role to play. Students will appreciate and understand better the innovations to be implemented. Students will have a better idea of the implementation challenges and the flexibility to be accommodated in the academic and choice-related framework.
UGC related literature describes the student ambassadors as the link between stakeholders and informs their role in the process of building awareness and citizen participation to implement NEP 2020.
Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Campuses Join the Conversation
A recent UGC update allows institutions with diverse academic profiles and locations to interact with each other. From Madhya Pradesh, we have Dr. C.V. Raman University, G. H. Raisoni University, P.K. University and People's University. From Uttar Pradesh, we have Amity University, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Bennett University, IILM University, IIMT University, IMS, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology and Jaypee University.
Rather than treating the implementation of the NEP as a solo institutional exercise, the UGC's weekly NEP SAARTHI Corner highlights how individual campuses and their student representatives are taking the initiative to raise awareness.
NEP SAARTHI is Part of a Wider UGC Reform Framework
The initiative forms part of the UGC's various efforts to support the NEP 2020 implementation in higher education institutions. The UTSAH, developed by UGC, will track and enhance the implementation of the NEP 2020 and other related initiatives in higher education institutions. In addition, it will host all the UGC Acts, rules, regulations and guidelines pertaining to the NEP reforms.
The UGC has outlined the NEP SAARTHI framework and continues to update it. The current framework of the portal comprises the original 2023 guidelines, the modified 2024 guidelines, and additional communications on NEP SAARTHI.
From Policy Awareness to Campus Participation
The NEP SAARTHI model takes an interesting approach to reform implementation. Students are not only receivers; they can be implementers of educational reforms. We will see in the coming years, if NEP SAARTHI goes beyond Awareness Campaigns; if reforms are going to be implemented; and if students will play an active role in reinitiating new constructive initiatives on-campus. For now, we have the NEP SAARTHI Corner for Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Final Thoughts
The primary goal of the new NEP SAARTHI Corner is to show that participant advocacy continues, and not to announce yet another policy. The UGC selects 12 institutions in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to demonstrate Student Ambassadorship as the primary constituency for NEP 2020. This approach could be meaningful as knowledge about education reform initiatives is most impactful when students understand the implications for their education.
So, the NEP SAARTHI Corner on Sundays takes the first steps to meaningfully engage students from audience to participant in education reform.
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