Page 8 - Guidelines to Provide Equitable Opportunity forthe SocioEconomically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) in the HEI

• Victims of or Children of victims of trafficking
• Students who lost their parents

• Any other group of low socio-economic conditions
(vii) Less-developed, poor-access, and disadvantaged locations:

• Villages and towns
• Tribal Areas /Scheduled Areas as mentioned in the V and VI Schedule under the
Constitution of India
• Slums
• Aspirational Areas with Special Educational Zones (SEZs)
• North East States
• Islands
• Conflict Prone Areas
• Disaster-prone areas, including flood, drought, earthquake, etc.
• Border Areas

Accomplishing the goals of NEP 2020 is considered necessary to help India addressing effectively the
challenges of her commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted
by all United Nations Member States in 2015, particularly the challenges related to achieving SDG-4
(quality education), SDG-5 (gender equality), SDG-1 (no poverty), and SDG-8 (decent work and
economic growth). These guidelines are meant to ensure that students belonging to Socio-Economically
Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) have a safe and secure environment and equitable access to quality
education in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), as specified in the National Education Policy
(NEP) 2020, and quality assessment of HEIs as under relevant criteria of National Assessment and
Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

1.2 Objectives:

a) Improving equitable access to quality education for SEDGs through bridge courses, earn-
while-learn, and outreach programme;
b) Extending and ensuring basic facilities and amenities to SEDGs for inclusive, healthy,
safe, and secure environments on campuses; and
c) Setting up SEDGs Cell for the purpose of sensitization of all stakeholders, policy
implementation, monitoring, equalizing access to inclusive quality higher education,
ensuring respectful dignity, promoting egalitarian and constitutional values, and
grievance redressal in the HEIs.

The following measures are suggested in the NEP 2020 to achieve the above objectives:

1. Make admission processes more inclusive.
2. Make the curriculum more inclusive.
3. Develop bridge courses for students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds.
4. Ensure sensitization of faculty, counselors, and students on the gender-identity issue and
its inclusion in all aspects of the HEI, including curricula.
5. Strictly enforce all no-discrimination and anti-harassment rules.
6. Develop a road map that contains specific plans for action on increasing participation
from SEDGs, including but not limited to the above items.

8
University Grants Commission