Navneet Sharma and Anamica Sharma | 18 May 2024 | Deccan Herald

Education has become a commodity. Those who can afford to buy it buy it, and those who can sell it make money out of it -Kailash Satyarthi

The concept of 'graded autonomy' in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promises to offer higher education institutions (HEls) "the freedom and flexibility to innovate, adapt, and excel in education and research". Recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) announced graded autonomy to eight esteemed central universities in India, including the University of Delhi, providing them with varying degrees of independence in their academic and administrative endeavours

UGC chairperson, M Jagadesh Kumar, asserts that "by tailoring their programmes to meet the growing needs of students and industries, autonomous institutions can contribute immensely to academic excellence and global competitivenes. However, he conspicuously omits mention of the intricate correlation between financial autonomy and academic excellence, leaving out an explanation of how financial independence inherently begets a commensurate rise in academic prowess..

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