FYUP in Assam: Implementing NEP beyond guidelines

Khushbu Gohain

(khushbu.gohain@pahleindia.org)

Fortunately, Assam is not the first state to operationalise the fourth year of
the undergraduate programme under the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020. That gives the state a distinct advantage: it can learn from the successes and shortcomings of institutions that have already attempted the transition. Yet, the state's newly released operational guidelines suggest that it has only half-learned those lessons.

If some of India's best-funded and academically strong universities have struggled to implement the fourth year seamlessly, the task is likely to be even more demanding for resource-constrained colleges spread across Assam's rural and remote districts. The success of the reform will therefore depend not on the policy itself, but on whether the state can match its ambition with adequate faculty, infrastructure and institutional preparedness.

Delhi University, one of the earliest institutions to implement the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), illustrates this challenge well. The reform expanded academic flexibility through pathways such as Honours with Research, entrepreneurship and multidisciplinary academic projects. Yet implementation exposed shortages of eligible research supervisors, changing operational guidelines after the academic session had begun, and lower-than-expected enrolment in the fourth year.

A similar lesson emerged from Karnataka and Meghalaya. Karnataka, an early adopter of NEP in 2021, rolled back the four-year framework for new cohorts in 2024 amid concerns that many colleges lacked the faculty and infrastructure needed to sustain it. In Meghalaya, teachers in colleges affiliated with North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) boycotted the FYUP in 2023 over inadequate classrooms, laboratories and staff.

The experiences of Delhi University, Karnataka and NEHU point to a common conclusion. The challenge was never the vision and objectives of the National Education Policy; it was the capacity to implement that vision.

Assam's recently released operational guidelines indicate that the government has adopted a more pragmatic approach by introducing transitional relaxations in research supervision, infrastructure requirements and student eligibility. These provisions deserve appreciation because they recognise that colleges across the state differ significantly in their levels of preparedness. However, temporary relaxations cannot become permanent substitutes for structural reforms.

The first priority should be strengthening Assam's academic capacity. Expanding the fourth year without expanding the teaching workforce will inevitably dilute educational quality. The government should announce a time-bound recruitment calendar to fill vacant assistant professor positions. Until permanent recruitment is completed, contractual and guest faculty can help ensure continuity in teaching and supervision.

Universities should also be encouraged and funded to engage research associates and teaching assistants during the transition. Undergraduate research cannot flourish where departments struggle to sustain even regular classroom teaching.

Second, Assam should adopt a phased implementation model for the Honours with Research pathway. Rather than expecting every college to offer research-intensive programmes immediately, departments should first be assessed against clearly defined readiness criteria. These should include faculty strength, availability of qualified research supervisors, laboratory facilities, library resources and digital infrastructure. Colleges that require additional support should receive targeted assistance before joining subsequent phases. Such an approach would safeguard academic quality while ensuring realistic implementation.

Third, the government should establish a dedicated State NEP Implementation Fund to support laboratories, digital libraries, internet connectivity, research facilities and multidisciplinary learning spaces. Rural, tea-garden, tribal, hill, and border districts particularly need these resources. As a Northeastern state, Assam already qualifies for the Centre's 90:10 funding support under PM-USHA. The fund should leverage available PM-USHA support for eligible higher education projects while providing additional state budgetary allocations for Assam to strengthen the infrastructure required for the successful implementation of the fourth year.

Universities should also develop shared research hubs that neighbouring colleges can access. This would allow students to benefit from common laboratories, libraries and specialised faculty without requiring every institution to build identical infrastructure.

Equally important, the implementation of the fourth year must remain inclusive and accessible. For many students from Adivasi communities, tribal areas and economically weaker rural households, completing even the previous three-year undergraduate programme has long been a challenge.

Financial hardship and the pressure to enter the workforce early contribute to high dropout rates among these groups. These challenges are compounded by limited access to hostels and transport, as well as the inability to bear the costs of prolonged higher education. Extending undergraduate education by an additional year, without adequate financial support, may unintentionally widen existing inequalities.

The success of the fourth year will therefore depend not only on academic reforms but also on targeted social and financial support. The state should introduce fee waivers, hostel assistance, and digital learning support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The State could offer a scholarship to help students from low-income families pay for their fourth year of college in Assam.

The government should work towards enabling every college to complement these measures with structured mentoring, academic counselling and career guidance. This can encourage students from marginalised communities to continue on the research pathway instead of leaving after three years due to financial constraints or family responsibilities. Partnerships with industry, government departments and civil society organisations can further provide paid internships and research opportunities. This will reduce the economic burden on students while enhancing employability. If the benefits of the fourth year remain concentrated in better-resourced urban institutions, NEP's objective of expanding equitable access to quality higher education will remain only partially realised.

The release of the operational guidelines is therefore not the culmination of reform but the beginning of its most demanding phase. Ultimately, we will measure its long-term success by whether every student, regardless of geography, income or social background, has an equal opportunity to complete it. If Assam succeeds in aligning curricular reform with investments in faculty, infrastructure and student support, it can become a national model for implementing the NEP in a manner that is academically rigorous, institutionally sustainable and socially inclusive.

References:

Delhi University Teachers' Association. (2025, July 7). 'Recipe for failure': DU faculty petitions President over four-year UG programme. Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/article/education/delhi-university-faculty-opposes-four-year-ug-programme-cuet-ug-2025-10111901

North Eastern Hill University colleges under strain over implementation. (2024, March 20). Careers360. https://news.careers360.com/nehu-north-eastern-hill-university-nep-2020-ug-courses-fyup-meghalaya-college-not-enough-books-teachers-classrooms

Krishna, A. (2024, May 10). 'Better decision': Why Karnataka teachers welcome scrapping of the four-year undergraduate programme. Careers360. https://news.careers360.com/karnataka-scrap-fyup-four-year-degree programme-bangalore-mangalore-university-no-teachers-buildings-nep-2020-congress-bjp

Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education. (2023, June). Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA): Guidelines. Government of India.https://pmusha.education.gov.in/pm-usha/assets/docs/PM%20USHA%20Final%20Guidelines.pdf