Srinagar, April 9 -- The promise of transformation under the National Education Policy 2020 was bold, ambitious, and widely celebrated. It envisioned flexible curricula, multidisciplinary education, skill integration, multiple entry-exit options, academic mobility, and a renewed focus on employability. The policy aimed to make higher education more attractive, inclusive, and future-ready. Yet, several years after its rollout, a troubling reality is emerging across many colleges and universities: admissions are falling. Empty classrooms, unfilled seats, and shrinking batches are becoming increasingly common. The gap between policy vision and ground-level outcomes is growing wider.

One of the biggest expectations from the reforms was that ...