New Delhi: Reports suggest that after securing his reelection, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mapped out the first 100 days of second tenure’s education agenda. According to the Indian Express, the Modi government hopes to unveil a new national education policy, fill five lakh vacant faculty positions in higher education and add ten institutes to the Institutions of Eminence (IoE) list.According to the report, the action plan was drafted by the HRD ministry and was approved by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). While most of the initiatives plan to build on policies implemented during the previous term, the plan also lists nine priorities for higher education.Even before the elections were concluded or results announced, the PMO apparently directed the department heads of various ministries to prepare a ‘Plan of Action’. The ministries were asked to take into account promises made by the BJP’s manifesto. According to reports, the ministries of housing and urban affairs, rural development and social justice have also reportedly made plans for the Modi government’s second term.The new education policy, the ministry of which took two committees and almost four years to be compiled, will be submitted on May 31, the Indian Express reported. The ministry plans to invite public feedback on the document on June 1 and finalise the cabinet note by July 1.Apart from the new education policy, the HRD ministry will also unveil a “five-year vision document”, which will cover themes such as access, excellence, quality, governance systems, research and innovation, employability, accreditation processes, use of technology and financing higher education.The government will also take forward the Institute of Eminence initiative, which was created to help educational institutions into the international top 100 club of academic institutions. In the Modi government’s first term, the IoE status was granted to six institutions against the promised 20. The HRD ministry is apparently looking to increase the sanctioned strength of IoEs to 30.Also Read: UGC’s Planned Replacement Shows How Delusional Higher Education Policy Has BecomeThe HRD ministry will also resume attempts to replace the University Grants Commission with a Higher Education Commission. The move was opposed by the academic community, but the government is looking to make another attempt after the new cabinet is sworn in, the Indian Express reported. “The ministry’s timeline states that the draft Act will be discussed with the state governments in June and a final decision will be made in August,” the newspaper said.Also in the plans are a new accreditation system and a national research fund Act. While the new accreditation system will build on regulations introduced in the first term, the HRD ministry is also planning to allow private agencies to rate educational institutions. Currently, only the NAAC can rate them. In association with the department of science and technology, the HRD ministry is planning to set up an umbrella body to fund all research activities, the draft Act for which will be ready by the end of May. It will subsume the Science and Engineering Research Body.