Human Resource and Administrative Challenges in Implementing NEP 2020 Reforms in Higher Education Institutions: A Comparative Narrative Review of Universities and Colleges in Uttarakhand

Abstract

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is the new framework that has changed the reform discourse in India's higher education system from one of adaptation to systematic restructuring in terms of curriculum design, administrative reforms, and institutionalized support systems. Politically, Uttarakhand appears to be at the forefront of NEP 2020 with its adoption of state-wide common syllabus for its universities and colleges, demonstrating a high degree of implementation intent. In this narrative review, the role played by human resource (HR) and administrative issues in implementing NEP 2020 within universities and colleges of Uttarakhand is explored.
However, the present paper claims that the problem associated with NEP 2020 policy implementation goes beyond being merely a policy-related problem since the problem is also that of the lack of organizational capacity, which can be seen through various variables, including adequacy of staffing, competency of staff, digital preparedness, planning systems, and governance. While universities have higher organizational capacities than colleges owing to better academic leadership and institutional coordination systems, colleges (affiliated colleges and those situated farther away from headquarters) find themselves with severe shortcomings with respect to staff adequacy and competence as well as administrative autonomy.