The new National Education Policy is in the news again with the Delhi University (DU) approving the introduction of a four-year undergraduate program from next year amid protests by teachers. The NEP proposes a number of reforms for higher education. A look at how, if implemented literally, NEP can change the classroom experience:
multidisciplinary
Higher education in India focuses on producing disciplinary experts. But the new NEP proposes to break down disciplinary boundaries. This means that BTech students, for example, will no longer limit themselves to their engineering branch. Instead, their programs will have a more substantial component of the arts and humanities. “Arts and humanities students will aim to learn more science, and all strive to include more business disciplines and soft skills,” the policy states.
IIT-Bombay’s new liberal arts, sciences and engineering (LASE) program is an example of how the vision of NEP translates on the ground. The LASE program, which is introduced this year, gives students the option to graduate with a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in five areas or “concentrations” – engineering sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, arts and design. The fifth option allows the student to build his own concentration. LASE students will study a set of foundation courses in their second year in addition to their STEM courses, such as Modern South Asian History, History of Science, Contemporary Digital Society, Current Social Structure, Reading and Writing Literature.
4 year undergraduate program
While multidisciplinary is the final destination, the four-year undergraduate program suggested in the NEP document is a means to that end.
Undergraduate programs in India, except for professional degrees like B Tech and MBBS, usually last for three years. The new policy proposes to “adjust” the length of degree programs so that students can “experience a full range of holistic and multidisciplinary learning, in addition to focusing on majors and minors chosen according to student preferences”. While the NEP does not call for the elimination of the three-year format, it does say that a four-year multidisciplinary graduate program “would be the preferred option”.
While students pursuing graduate education will study an additional year, they will also have the option of leaving with an “appropriate certification” before that. On leaving after the first year you will receive a certificate, after the second year you will receive a diploma, and after the third year you will receive a bachelor’s degree. Completion of the entire program will lead to a bachelor’s degree “with research” if the student completes “a rigorous research project” in their major area(s) of study.
Delhi University is the first higher education institution to implement this NEP suggestion. From next year onwards, DU students can opt for a three-year honors program, or a four-year honors program, or a four-year honors program with research. They can also exit with the appropriate certification.
academic bank of credit
The Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) was introduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) before the NEP. Under this system, you earn credits for each course you take during your degree studies. The Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) proposed by the NEP is where higher education institutions will digitally credit the credits earned for the courses studied by the students.
So, how will this affect the classroom experience? On the ground, ABC is expected to provide multi-entry and exit systems as well as multidisciplinary support in higher education. In other words, a student’s deposits in ABC (read: a representation of his prior education in course units) should help him later transfer from one higher education institution to another, if necessary.
Assigning credits to each course will also mean that courses or projects will be significant in areas such as community engagement and service, environmental education, science, math, arts, sports and value-based learning. According to the NEP, this will go a long way in achieving “a holistic and multidisciplinary education”. I express explained is now on Wire. Click To join our channel here (@ieexplained) and stay updated with the latest
regional languages
The new education policy lays emphasis on promotion of Indian languages, arts and culture through education. One way to do this is to encourage higher education institutions to adopt regional languages or local languages as the medium of instruction in the classroom. For starters, the government has allowed 14 engineering colleges to teach selected engineering programs in five languages: Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu and Hindi. This, the policy states, will help increase the Gross Enrollment Ratio in higher education as students who are not proficient in English will be encouraged to pursue further studies in regional languages.
national entrance exam
Another proposal that can change the higher education experience of the students is a single university entrance test conducted by the National Testing Agency. If it is implemented, students will not have to appear for multiple entrance exams. “The high quality, range and flexibility of NTA testing services will enable most universities to access these common entrance exams – rather than hundreds of universities creating their own entrance exams – thereby reducing the burden on students, universities and colleges. and The entire education system. It will be left to individual universities and colleges to use the NTA assessment for their admission,” the policy stated.
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