Impact of NEP 2020 on Tourism Sector of M.P. through Higher Education Programmes

Abstract

The National Education Policy (NEP) of India launched in 2020 has generated significant discussions on the changes needed in the higher education system of the country with an aim to transform India into a knowledge based economy , NEP proposes several reforms in the education sector including changes in curriculum pedagogy and assessment methods. One important aspects of any NEP is its potential impact on various industries particularly tourism sector and if the things are recollected then it’s experience is based on previous education policies, the focus of higher education was more on creating knowledge societies, thereafter stress shifted on balancing the knowledge content with real life requirement of skills to make the students of higher education system more employable as skill development and education is the need of the hour. In NEP 2020 various strategies are also mentioned for proper implementation of tourism education by way of enhancing collaboration with industry, internship program, inculcate major skills, develop technology within curriculum and many more but there are various issues in implementing NEP. This paper focuses on understanding the implementation of NEP in the context of tourism education and vocational education in tourism sector specifically and skill based vocational education in general in the higher education system of India through quantitative research methods. This research provides valuable insights for stakeholders in the higher education and tourism sectors on the impact of NEP implementation on the tourism industry in M.P.