Dr Manu Vora: ‘Industry needs soft skills more than hard skills’
‘To implement NEP, teaching and learning must change’
Civil Society News, New Delhi
WHEN campus recruitments begin to falter, particularly at prestigious institutions, it is a sign that all is not well with higher education. Degrees are meant to at least lead to employment. There are also elliptical goals such as advanced research and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. If a good school system provides literacy, universities and colleges are meant to give an economy its cutting edge.
It is no secret that India has a serious crisis in higher education. Well-established universities have been declining. They aren’t as robust as they once were as seats of learning and haven't been able to measure up to modern needs. They need more nurturing and less interfernce by the government. On the other hand, private universities and colleges are of uneven quality, the majority of them delivering poor quality of education.
The Central government’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 seeks to set things right by 2035, but even after several years of its adoption much remains to be done. Dr Manu Vora, who is based in the US where he has worked in industry and academia, has been a part of the technical committee for the NEP’s implementation. Civil Society spoke to him for a perspective.
Q: What are the challenges the technical committee faces in implementing the NEP in India, especially those that involve immersive learning and practical engagement?
First of all, I think we are still wedded to the British system. So, the teaching-learning process needs a lot of improvement. As you know, it’s more about memorization and vomiting what you’ve learnt by rote in the exam. We need to move away from that and devise a new paradigm — that is, learning based on concepts and focused on principles and applications rather than mugging up facts and figures which doesn’t do any good to students or the faculty. That is one of the biggest challenges I see.
Q: Is this a challenge across institutions, whether IITs or IIMs?
Yes, this is where we need a paradigm shift. You do need to look at different ways of innovative pedagogy and continuous assessment. And, of course, we are used to lots of exams and exams and exams…which doesn’t do any good to anyone. I’ve taken many exams and I don’t recall any of them being useful in my practical life. It’s a waste of time.
There are alternative ways to assess whether students are learning in the classroom. Are they able to demonstrate that they have grasped the concept? Are they able to work on that concept to create something meaningful in practical life? This is where there is a big disconnect.
There are 10 to 12 issues in implementing the NEP 2020. We lack a sound structure to implement NEP across the board in all the higher education institutes. Without a structure it will all depend on the person at the top in the institute — the vice-chancellor, director or the principal. Once they move, things will fall apart if there is no structure or system behind it. That’s the biggest issue I see. We do not engage our alumni and industry experts in implementing NEP. It’s a tremendous resource which we need to tap. We need to make them part of the solution.
Q: The alumni being people who have gone out and know better?
Sure, and the alumni would have a soft corner for the institute where they came from. They would be willing to give back provided they are engaged and respected. Essentially, you have to put them on a pedestal. That’s what we do in the Western world.
Then there needs to be a strategic plan which should be communicated to all stakeholders, internal and external, vis-a-vis NEP 2020. We are also not very clear if there is a seamless transition between Classes K to 12 and the higher educational institutes because that interface needs to be managed. What happens at the transition point? Everybody is working in silos.
What I see at ground level for the past five years is that there is no uniform implementation of NEP. People have taken bits and pieces of what they want to work on, worked on those issues and declared victory. That’s a real challenge.
Q: So, NEP is not taking shape as a policy?
No, because the policy is very comprehensive and has a 15-year window to implement all aspects. People are using a shotgun approach — pick and choose what they want to work on and then they are happy. That is the biggest drawback because once they think they have done everything no one can tell them to do more.
In India we don’t have a culture of sharing successes and failures. Otherwise, some institutes that have done good practices can share their experience with others who can learn from it and avoid the traps of failures.
Normally this kind of transition will require some change agents. And definitely one needs to do some pilots to see how locally it can be implemented and what changes need to be done in terms of real implications.
The next two items I want to share is about leadership. Top leaders must have some idea about the sustainability of change, their role and responsibility, their commitment, involvement and so on which in general is lacking because it is delegated downward and they are nowhere to be seen. That’s how you don’t do change or transformation. Because without visible leadership at the highest level, people will not join the effort.
This is a project with a 15-year timeline. To implement it well we need to have a foundation in project management. In India we talk a lot, but we are weak in project management.
I teach project management at Northwestern University for the past 17 years. I know it’s a discipline we need to master because all we do is projects all along
Q: What’s doable does not get done, right?
Correct. And, of course, hand-in-hand with project management is risk management. In higher education there is no concept of managing risk. This was a revelation to me.
Q: What is risk management in higher education?
When you undertake a project, it means you are working on something unknown. And that means there is an inherent risk that something can go wrong. So, in NEP 2020 what can go wrong? One, you don’t have the right people working on the right issues. You don’t have a timeline. You don’t open up resources, and then you don’t have progress. The risk is all there.
We need to identify major risks and then have a mitigation plan. So if any of these risks do occur there is a gameplan to manage those risks. Project management and risk management are disciplines which need to be inculcated.
Q: And with this would go greater openness and a willingness to share learning?
Sure, and one thing I’ve been observing for the past 13 years in India is that students and faculty in general lack soft skills — that means leadership, decision-making, time management, teamwork, problem solving and project management. These are critical skills to get ahead in the workplace and make major contributions. Unfortunately, curricula does not contain these soft skills.
It’s a major gap. Industry needs soft skills more than hard skills and academia does not provide it. I have been propagating that idea for a long time. Some people are listening and most are ignoring (my advice).
Q: What is the kind of soft skills we should be focusing on?
Begin with leadership because anything we do on a project-by-project basis needs to have leadership traits all along. And not just the top leader. Members of the team should be exhibiting leadership traits at their level too. Along with leadership is decision-making. Mostly ethical decisions which is much needed in India because we are not at the top in terms of ethics. We are roughly halfway on the world’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Even on the Human Development Index we are way behind.
Third, time management. In India, hota hai, chalta hai. Most people don’t manage their time well and as a result things don’t get done. And then they do it hurriedly at the end, with mediocre results. Fourth is teamwork. Then come problem solving and project management.
Q: India comes with a lot of baggage in the higher education space. Not all are of the quality of the IIMs and IITs and IISc. There’s a huge quality issue in private institutes in terms of ownership and teaching.
It can be changed. We need to educate our faculty in innovative pedagogy. Don’t just use 40-year-old slides which makes it boring for students. A lot of students are more into the subject than the faculty. They read up, they are up-to-date on recent developments, when they are in the IITs and IIMs. They don’t go to class because they know the faculty does not pull their weight. Some faculty just read from the book and things like that which does not excite anyone.
An article I had shared on Pedagogy and Continuous Assessment for Effective NEP 2020 Implementation, there are ways to do it. I have been practising it for 32 years as faculty in different programmes here in the US. What I find is that when you open up new ways of teaching students, they really respect it. They get involved and make the most of it in terms of real-life applications, teamwork. They read state-of-the-art articles, case studies, do a lot of discussions, learn each other’s perspectives, and build on it, do a live project, in a team setting and then share it in the classroom. These are ways of assessing if students are learning.
Q: You said at the beginning you need a structure to take anything forward. We are a diverse country in so many ways. What idea do you have for creating structural change? Where would it come from?
What I have suggested is a streamlined project structure for NEP 2020. You start with a council for NEP with the top leader in charge like the vice-chancellor, director, or principal. The council will select the top faculty with the experience and ability to get things done, share the NEP Strategic Plan with all stakeholders and use project management discipline to implement NEP with good results.
We set up a structure, a council, a champion, and then, according to AICTE guidance, short-term, medium-term, and long-term objectives. You make clusters and involve three different groups: faculty, alumni and the industry expert (Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh). The trio then works together to address specific items in the short-term, medium-term and long-term.
Q: This is institution-specific. What about across the country?
Each institute is supposed to implement NEP 2020. If the structure is in place at each institute, an outcome is likely to happen. Without the structure you will need lots of prayers and good wishes. But nothing will happen. Because, first of all, inertia will set in and you will not do anything. You will just get by because this is additional effort for them.
They don’t understand that with this effort you can take education to the next level. You can put India on the roadmap to becoming the best in the world because the policy is very powerful. The only problem is we are weak in implementation and that’s where the focus should be.
Q: All you have to do is take a trip to Greater Noida. You see institute upon institute; whether they are teaching journalism or management or engineering, the standards are very questionable.
And that’s the challenge.
Q: We’ve seen headlines recently saying recruitment from the IITs and IIMs is actually falling. Are Indian standards declining or are we not able to provide what the world needs?
One of the issues I see is lack of soft skills. Students are not able to communicate what they can do for the company. If you can’t hold a conversation, you can’t convey your good ideas, what good are you for the company? That’s why they are left behind.
Even if they get a job but aren’t able to work well in a team, and here let me make a comment — in India everyone is brilliant individually. But when you put the individual in a team … just watch out. They are not cut out to be good team members in general.
In the Western world it is the opposite. Individually, the individual may not be bright but when they work as a team, they are fantastic. They will support each other and get great results.
Such things need to be inculcated right from kindergarten, through our education system. Focus on team work. Most of the projects we do are solo projects all the way up to getting the degree. There’s no concept of teamwork. We pick that up working with multinationals. But teamwork is the essence of success in industry.
That’s why I try to simulate that effort in my classes. There are teams who have to work together. They don’t know each other. They come together and take on specific roles like leader, communicator, researcher, editor, etc. And work together seamlessly to do the best project they can, using the concept given to them in class.
A paradigm shift has to happen. If we continue with what we have been doing in the classroom, how can we expect change? First, we need to mould our faculty in different ways of learning. Once they grasp those new learnings they can transmit that knowledge to the students. So that’s what I see as a major challenge.
Q: When we compare our higher education system with that in the US and with China, which did a lot of catching up, we don’t stand a chance of catching up, do we?
I think we can catch up provided we focus on the right things. Right now, the focus is on getting more money, building more labs, and building fiefdoms of whatever resources you can muster at the expense of others. Collaborations are not happening.
Q: What has China done right which we are not doing?
First of all, they focused on quality. Singapore, South Korea, China really understood that improving quality will improve education and outcomes. We are focused more on actions. We are forgetting about the outcomes. Everybody is looking for more resources, rather than doing the right thing and collaborating with each other because resources are limited.
If one institute has certain resources, the other institute should piggyback and collaborate with that institute. Those are the cultural shifts we need to think about. We can learn from others — the US, Canada, part of Europe. Access to quality higher education and outcomes of higher education need to be looked at properly. It’s a balance. Because if you don’t have access to the right people who have a good mind but they can’t get into the programme, quality suffers, institutes don’t provide the right skills so the unemployment line grows. Only a few institutes have better outcomes. The rest are questionable. I’ve seen some of the data. Seven percent of engineers are capable of doing core basic engineering, 93 percent have no clue what to do. That’s a sad story for our higher education institutes.
Comments
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Dr VM Bansal - June 8, 2025, 11:08 p.m.
Prof Manu Vora needs to be thanked for his honest portrayal of our country's higher education challenges & compromises. According to me there's a big leadership vaccum at the top levels of academia in several institutions. Unless there's a sea change in that sphere, the things will continue to be on paper. Thank you very much Prof Vora for highlighting the gaps in the existing scenario.
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Amit Chatterjee - June 7, 2025, 11:15 p.m.
Dear Manu, Many thanks for your contribution to India’s education system based on your global perspective and local connect. The implementation of NEP is dependent on quality of leadership.You may like to guide the installation of a robust and creative leadership system.
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Shakti Tiwari - June 7, 2025, 9:58 p.m.
Respected Sir, Your insightful interview on the National Education Policy (NEP) Implementation Program 2020 is admirable. Your clarity of thought, structured approach, and deep understanding of the policy framework brought immense value. Your emphasis on skill development, outcome-based education, and value-centric learning if implemented timely will surely be transformative. The integration of quality management principles into educational reform, as you elaborated, offered a refreshing and pragmatic pathway toward achieving the goals of NEP 2020. Thank you for your dedication to educational excellence and for inspiring all of us to contribute meaningfully to India's educational renaissance.
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Prof. Rajesh K Jain - June 7, 2025, 8:56 p.m.
Hello Sir, excellent observation on the NEP Implementation...you are right in your observation that if leader is committed for quality & NEP Implementation then nothing can stop from reaping the benefits of its implementation. Another takeaway from your deliberation is that Implementation successes be shared with fellow institutios, so that reinventing the wheel efforts could be saved...
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Himanshu Gandhi - June 7, 2025, 6:50 p.m.
Very frank and insight interview of Dr Manu Vora summerising broadway challanges in transformation in educational system needs of overcoming normal tendancy of comfort zone and resistance to change for better and brighter future of next generation with practical approach to subject. His suggestions are based on international experiance and may be useful in harmonising Indian education system to meet global enviornment. NEP implementor takes this project by incorporation Dr Vora valuable suggestion may be in phase manner to its true spirit.
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Deepak Deshpande - June 7, 2025, 5:19 p.m.
Cant agree note that the Current Education system is still colonized , and it’s high time we get back to that it Gurukul Parampara and aspects of learning , which are very profound . Excellent thoughts and first step is NEP. Very pragmatic and optimistic Indeas.
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T N Badri - June 7, 2025, 3:07 p.m.
In this Civil Society interview, Professor Manu Vohra has shown us the big picture about the state of implementation of the National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020. The policy with a time-line of 15 years has faced many problems, and he points out that the educational system with its emphasis on rote learning, obsolete teaching materials, and lack of emphasis on team-work are some of the causes. The real work for educationists remains. Methodologies such as Project Management and Risk Management should be used to deal with disruptions and hazards. As someone who recently had the opportunity to teach Risk Analytics to third-year Computer Science students at RIT Chennai, I whole heartedly support this recommendation. Risk management lists out the accident scenarios, hazards, barriers to prevent and recover from catastrophes and has been widely used in the Insurance and Petrochemical Industries. With care it could be used in the Higher Education sector as well.
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T N Badri - June 7, 2025, 11:55 a.m.
Professor Manu Vohra has, in this interview, shown us the big picture about the state of implementation of the National Educational Policy (NEP) 2020. The policy has been a dud so far, and he singles out the systemic reasons for the failure, for example rote learning, competitive exams without any hint of team-work on projects, obsolete study material, and much else. The real work of implementing the policy is ahead of the educationists for the next 10 years, and methodologies such as Project Management and Risk Management should be employed to keep the project on the rails. Having just taught a course for the first time on Risk Analytics to Computer Science students, I welcome this suggestion. Identifying the accident scenarios, hazards and protective and damage controlling barriers would be very helpful to planners, as it has proved to be in the Insurance and Heavy Industry domains.
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JOHNSON GEORGE (Corporate Trainer, Consultant, Assessor) - June 7, 2025, 10:09 a.m.
Well said Dr. Manu teaching & learning approaches need innovative thinking
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Dr Aditya Gupta - June 7, 2025, 8:51 a.m.
Dr. Manu Vora’s interview offers valuable insights into the real challenges of implementing NEP 2020. His emphasis on shifting from rote learning to a more experiential, concept-driven approach is crucial. The NEP’s goals can’t be achieved unless we fundamentally change how teaching and learning take place in our classrooms. Dr. Vora rightly points out that assessments, teacher training, and student engagement all need urgent attention. His practical perspective, drawn from years of global experience, adds weight to the conversation. This interview is a strong reminder that real reform will come not just from policy documents, but from how well we reimagine everyday classroom practices.
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Dr Vinay Mohan - June 7, 2025, 8:21 a.m.
Excellent exposition Dr. Manu
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Anshuman Tiwari - June 7, 2025, 7:13 a.m.
Well said Manu Sir. With two sons in University and my wife in primary education I have seen the failure of NEP from close. Almost nothing has been implemented in last 5 years. Paper tiger policy for now. But then this is not a surpriise. No team was setup to 'implement't it. Left to babu log.
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CG Mistry - June 7, 2025, 6:07 a.m.
The article is indeed an eye opener for many a professionals who are involved in the refinement and betterment of educational system in India. The few important facts that stand out are: 1. The Structure of education system. Learning must be key focus of the students. New technology in the world should be at the forefront of teaching. 2. Education at primary and secondary levels should include the practical application of the study being done by students. 3. As Dr. Vora mentioned it is exam, exam and more exam. This must be changed to practical application and field work. Students should be able to visit organizations including manufacturing plants, commercial industrial offices, service industries to name a few. 4. Soft skills as mentioned by Dr. Vora are of immense importance in higher learning and professional work. 5. The other important item mentioned is Leadership. There is great talent in the country, it needs to be channelled to create leaders who understand and follow leadership principles. Humility is another great skill that needs to be cultivated in managers and leaders. Money should not be the primary reason for pursuing certain professions. Students must be channeled to use the talent to develop other leaders. Money follows success. The prime goal of living should be giving back to society then getting back from society. I hope the country's current direction with good leadership will succeed in creating a system that will be envied by the world. Good luck to all who are looking at the opportunity to make India a great nation.
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Ashok Kumar Jain - June 7, 2025, 5:56 a.m.
To achieve "Viksit Bharat" we need to update our education and learning system. Dr Manu Vora who isa great acadmisian and researcher indicated in his delibrations that India has to leap upward from mugging to learning education where creativity and innovation are the foundations. Thanks Manu ji.
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CA Bharat Desai - June 7, 2025, 5:40 a.m.
First of all I would like to appreciate and thank Dr. Manu Vora's for his efforts and trying to bring about a policy change in the education system in India. NEP 2020 is a great initiative. What India lacks is practical training and soft slills. India is a great Nation with such a large population which is young. With right kind of quality education, India can go places. And NEP 2020 is exactly trying to do that.. We all know that there is always resistance to change and ofcourse there are vested interest too. But I am sure Dr Manu Vora efforts will bring a sea change in the education system in India.
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Commander VK Jaitly - June 7, 2025, 5:19 a.m.
It is really an exhaustive interview. Manu ji has covered almost all aspects. I fully agree with Manu ji that NEP 2020 is an excellent policy but it's execution is slow. Even to implement it in 15 years timeline, the speed needs to be increased. What we need is an execution plan for each and every school, college and university level and then there must be internal monitoring every quarter and then monitoring by an external agency every six months. And above all, the leadership at all levels must demonstrate Ownership Mentality.
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Hiren Mehta - June 6, 2025, 11:55 p.m.
Very Informative. Dr Vora has rightly said that many Indian students are not able to communicate what they can do for the company. Hope, the NEP will bring good communication skills along with some practical knowledge and pragmatic approach. Thanks Dr Vora for this in-depth analysis and your valuable suggestions.
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Hiren Mehta - June 6, 2025, 11:54 p.m.
Very Informative. Dr Vora has rightly said that many Indian students are not able to communicate what they can do for the company. Hope, the NEP will bring good communication skills along with some practical knowledge and pragmatic approach. Thanks Dr Vora for this in-depth analysis and your valuable suggestions.
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Dr. Sharif Mohd. - June 6, 2025, 10:13 p.m.
It's wonderful to hear how Dr. Manu Vora is championing the effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020! It sounds like his extensive experience, spanning over 50 years in leadership and direct involvement in both elementary and higher education in India, gives him a truly insightful perspective. Dr. Vora seems to have a clear and actionable vision for transforming India's education landscape. He's advocating for an innovative system that involves structural changes across the board, starting with strong leadership at the national level and extending all the way down to faculty in every educational institution, from elementary schools to universities, both public and private. What's particularly compelling is his emphasis on soft skills, which are so crucial in today's world. He highlights the importance of improving communication, leadership, decision-making, time management, teamwork, problem-solving, and project management. Beyond that, he stresses the value of sharing successes and failures, learning from and respecting alumni, fostering research, and engaging in intercommunication with both domestic and international institutions to learn from their experiences. It sounds like Dr. Vora's plan is comprehensive and deeply considers the multifaceted needs of India's education ecosystem
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Anil Kumar S - June 6, 2025, 9:51 p.m.
Dr Manuji has as usual touched all corner stones of NEP implementation...yes maintaining Quality, fostering leadership, ensuring sharing success and failures, collaboration , time is the essence are all well articulated. I would like to add few as below 1. Excessive focus on entrance exam by students,parents and coaching centres 2. We are still to learn balancing Quality and Quantity without sacrifice of either 3. Industry Partnership 4. Avoidance of improper certification for advertisement 5. Right use of AI in higher education 6. Proper selection of faculty...we need to look at all aspects that undermine faculty quality. 7.India is India - comparisons may not be worthwhile.
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Dr jagdeesh chaudhary - June 6, 2025, 7:15 p.m.
Knowledge leads to freedom. Absolutely NEP possess that strength which can lead Bharat to be the Vishv Guru. We the citizens must be ready to recognise our strength and apply at our best. Thank you for such insightful interview. Mukti facets answers are there in each statement. Wonderful. Jay jagat.
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Adil Patuck - June 6, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
This article is very well articulated. I firmly believe in the NEP 2020 framework and am keen on implementing the policy at the earliest. Yet, this is easier said than done. We need to come out of our comfort zones. There are lots of challenges, but we must overcome them for the better good of education and our country. Manubhai, thanks for articulating this subject so well.
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Dr jagdeesh chaudhary - June 6, 2025, 8:19 a.m.
Knowledge leads to freedom. Absolutely NEP possess that strength which can lead Bharat to be the Vishv Guru. We the citizens must be ready to recognise our strength and apply at our best. Thank you for such insightful interview. Mukti facets answers are there in each statement. Wonderful. Jay jagat.
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Amit Chatterjee - June 5, 2025, 11 p.m.
Dear Manu, Many thanks for your contribution to India’s education system based on your global perspective and local connect. The implementation of NEP is dependent on quality of leadership.You may like to guide the installation of a robust and creative leadership system.
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Jitu Sanghvi - June 5, 2025, 10:55 p.m.
Dr. Manu Vora makes an excellent case for effective implementaion of NEP 2020 in this interview by brilliantly outlining current changes and plan of action to improve education ecosystem in India. With his first-hand experience in elementary and higher education in India and more than 50 years of leadership experience, he has a definite plan for adddresing present issues in NEP implementation. He recommends an innovative education system with structural changes at all levels starting with strong leadership at the National level and continuing at faculty level in all educational institutes, both private and public, including high school and elementary education. He emphasises , among other things, improvements in soft skills of communication, leadership, decision making, time management,teamwork, problem solving and project management. Additionally, focus on sharing successes and failures, learning from and respecting the alumni, research,intercommunication with domestic and international institutions and learning from them. Also,assess the progress of each student in all subjects and provide necessary guidance, assigning the right job to the right person, insisting on students managing their time well in finishing assigned work on time and Improving all hard skills required in manufacturing high quality products.
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Mina Parekh - June 5, 2025, 7:29 a.m.
Dr. Manu Vora is an excellent teacher and has tried to change the Indian education system by running on line classes which are excellent. The colleges like IIT and IIM are best in India but still they are not in the top ten colleges in the world. You can see that we get lots of book knowledge but not the quality practical knowledge. Our system of education mechange and Dr. Manu Vora has done an excellent job doing that. Quality does matter.
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Dr. S. V Viswanathan - June 5, 2025, 12:44 a.m.
In the education society that I am involved with we do keep upgrading the teachers. There are lot of involvement of alumni and industry collaboration. We had a vision 2025 and now we may extend it as 2035. Mere increasing qty of IIMs and IITs does not help unless you nurture and innovate. We had cases of bribing the peer reviewers in case of NAAC. Due to system interference, many colleges face both salary and designation problem. We also have reservation policy, where do called lower strata keep getting more reservations. Jobs are not created by government alone but industry as well. It is necessary that incubation cells help create more entrepreneurs. This is where alumni helps. Unlike west indian govt. has focussed on AI, and in a couple of years a lot of funding that would have gone into this will fetch good results. I also see many colleges being awarded drone development which means we are ready for future wars. NEP cannot do miracles if it is not taken seriously or where there is no commitment. Govt has done enough for building capacity. So education institutions have to ensure their roles in the implementation are taken to logical conclusion. I have seen nurturing of students who are slow or who have atkts resulting in Turing over to a better way of life. A holistic upbringing is what nep is all about. No more 10 to 5 jobs, but focus on results, focus on needs and involvement of all stake holders. Manu with his deep understanding of Indian system and his vast networking has presented his generalised views. He is correct when he talks on colleges without quality. NEP is able to ensure job readiness and proper collaboration between Industry and colleges. Colleges need to lead in this otherwise NEP will be a failure.
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Prof. Dr. Sudhindra Nath Panda - June 4, 2025, 10:54 p.m.
During the interview, Dr. Manu Vora offered visionary perspectives on the transformative potential of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in reshaping India’s higher education landscape. He noted that, in response to NEP-2020, numerous universities and academic institutions have revised their programme structures and curricula. However, Dr. Vora cautioned that merely complying with the documentation requirements of NEP-2020, NAAC, NBA, NIRF, and similar frameworks is not sufficient to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system. He emphasized the critical need to cultivate employable graduates capable of leading both national and global organizations. To this end, he called for strategic interventions, including the appointment of visionary institutional leaders, recruitment of faculty with strong pedagogical and subject-matter expertise, integration of application- and project-based learning, development of Open Courseware (OCW), establishment of advanced laboratories, and active industry participation in curriculum development, teaching-learning processes, internships, and student research initiatives.
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JAWAHAR B. GORADIA - June 4, 2025, 10:52 p.m.
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) is for transforming India into a knowledgeable society by providing high-quality education to all learners in the 21st century. Dr Manu Vora seems to be the best guide to achieving the goal as he has both industrial and educational field experience. But his expectations are too high from the Indian public as all stakeholders are required to be hardworking, intelligent, cooperative and honest. There should a check list to review the progress and constant corrective actions to meet timeline.
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Manish Pandya - June 4, 2025, 10:12 a.m.
Really awesome talk by Dr. Manu Vora. It's a need of the hour to discuss the factors affecting the implementation of NEP 2020 in India. Many congratulations sir for your talk and concern for education in India.
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Vijay K Batra - June 3, 2025, 11:58 p.m.
Dr Vora, you are a master Sculpturer; you have all kind of tools to sculpt the ideal sculpture of the future. The tools you suggest are like chisels of KNOWLEDGE to eliminate IGNORANCE. The students come to educational institutions as rough-cut stones, the role of EDUCATORS (sculpturers') is to not only give them specific education but to provided all-rounded education (inclusive of soft skills) Each individual student needs sometimes unique care. The educators have to have the skills to identify that need and use appropriate tool tailored to that student. There is a need of absolute trust between the two. Students not attending classes is a REFLECTION on teachers, Students can get the content from textbooks, Yes, OfCourse! But who can provide them with the depth of understanding and can clear their doubts? That is where skillful Teacher (Educator, Guru, Professor) comes in. I better stop here. Make the education HOLISTIC so that the Graduates can contribute to the Nation (Globe) by giving their talents unconditionally in the form of service.
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Dr. C. Sreedhar - June 3, 2025, 9:21 p.m.
Dr. Manu Vora has extensively worked on bridging the gap between Indian and global education by making the Indian system more inclusive, flexible, and student-centric. It is the collective responsibility of teachers and institutions to overcome practical challenges and hurdles in implementing NEP. I sincerely thank Dr. Manu Vora sir for his dedication towards universalizing education, improving quality, enhancing research and innovation, and strengthening teacher training. Thank you Sir.
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Zankhana Broker - June 2, 2025, 11:25 p.m.
Manu Sir, It's impressive and inspiring to see the results you bring. Thank you!
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Sushma Kulkarni - June 2, 2025, 8:23 a.m.
Fantastic sir! You have done authentic analysis of root causes for existing education strategies and also put forth what should be done to bring the change in our education scenario to implement NEP 2020 in the real spirit so that India can excel in the world.
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Chandana Nandi - June 2, 2025, 4:35 a.m.
Excellent interview Dr. Vora! You’ve identified key challenges and offered valuable suggestions for the effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). It’s crucial that outdated teaching and learning methods—such as rigid time management, lack of collaborative knowledge sharing, and continued reliance on old British-era systems—are replaced with more dynamic structure based and application focused approaches to ensure systematic changes. I sincerely hope that the upper management takes your insights seriously and acts upon those to strengthen and successfully implement the NEP.
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Dr. KKR - June 1, 2025, 9:41 p.m.
Dr MANU : What a remarkable interview! Your views are not just insightful—they’re spot on. You’ve addressed the challenges with precision and offered solutions that truly resonate. What struck me most is your candid reflection on our enduring “hota hai, chalta hai” mindset—so deeply rooted, yet so overdue for a change. Thank you for voicing it so powerfully. You held up a mirror to a nation. Where silence often hides behind “chalta hai,” you chose to speak with clarity and conviction. That takes more than knowledge. It takes heart. Wishing you all the very best always. Proud of you Doc. With admiration, Dr KKR
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S K Kak - June 1, 2025, 1:52 a.m.
NEP 2020 can be a milestone in the Indian transformational history as it can truly and fundamentally change the current Indian education system to be in resonance and coherence with the culture, heritage and centuries old tradition of Gyan Prampara of Bharat. NEP has all the features of modern education system by recognizing the ECEC to start the journey and take it right across the four levels in school and college. However, the more important issues of how it has to be done, how it must be done and how it shall happen has been said in this short video by a person who is very well versed with global education scene and also has surveyed the current education system in India and its shortcomings. Of course there are no simple solutions for such mammoth task but the solutions need to start with teachers training, attitude fixes and with setting up quality benchmarks for various stages while the dynamic, agile and holistic approach as suggested can form the basis of the NEP to make a start. Let us learn to teach and teach our students how to learn, unlearn & relearn that forms the bedrock of future in education. Thank you Prof. Manu Vora ji for such an interesting, scintillating and motivating talk to help NEP implementation on the ground.
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Indu Mami - May 31, 2025, 4:51 a.m.
Great interview, Manu bhai. Your views and solutions are "bang on target". The best part is Indian people's age-old mentality, "hota hai, chalta hai", that is still prevailing. Congratulations for such deep insights. All the best. Mami.
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DEBASHIS SARKAR - May 30, 2025, 7:33 a.m.
This is an insightful and thought-provoking perspective on the National Education Policy (NEP) and the essential steps needed to ensure its successful implementation. To truly get it right, it is imperative that the government engages global experts such as Dr. Manu Vora. His involvement.... and that of other distinguished professionals....would help ensure that no critical success factors are overlooked. What individuals like Dr. Vora contribute goes far beyond their impressive credentials and extensive experience. They bring with them an unwavering commitment to educational excellence and a genuine passion for transforming India’s education landscape. Their strategic vision, combined with a deep understanding of global best practices, could play a pivotal role in shaping an NEP that is both progressive and practical.