Kerala VCs name for resolving equivalency problems with programs, tips forward of NEP implementation

By Express News Service

KASARGOD: Vice-chancellors of two Kerala state universities known as on the federal government to deal with the problem of equivalency of programs in the case of making use of for jobs, and regulatory checks to make sure programs are usually not diluted for flexibility earlier than implementing the National Education Policy (NEP 2020).

They have been talking on the two-day roundtable convention of vice-chancellors on how you can implement NEP within the Central University of Kerala at Periya on Friday.

Speaking at a session on ‘a number of entry, a number of exit’, Kerala University vice-chancellor Prof Mahadevan Pillai mentioned there ought to be tips on which institute will award the diploma if a scholar selected to finish a six-semester undergraduate course from three totally different universities.

NEP 2020 provides a scholar the choice to exit from a course after the primary 12 months, be part of one other college for the second 12 months after which full the third 12 months in one more college.  Here, credit score switch would require higher laws as a result of there is no such thing as a uniformity in syllabus or course period in any two universities.

“The flexibility offered to the student in acquiring an academic degree should not dilute the course,” Prof Pillai mentioned.

If programs are usually not standardised, college students will search for the shortest and best means to amass credit by choosing programs with minimal content material and simple to finish, he mentioned.

Vice-chancellor of the University of Calicut Prof Jayaraj M Ok mentioned his college was providing UGC-approved BVoc (Bachelor of Vocational Studies) programs with the choice for a number of entry and exit however no scholar was choosing it.

“The students, if they choose to leave after the first year, will get a certificate; after the second year, they will get a diploma and after the third year, they will get a bachelor’s degree. They are not exiting the courses because they are not finding jobs. Instead, they are demanding equivalency to pursue a master’s course and then PhD,” he mentioned.

“Students of multidisciplinary courses such as microbiology, food science, biotechnology find it difficult to get equivalency while applying for jobs. Similarly, a student with M.Sc. nanoscience is asked if she has a basic degree in physics for jobs,” mentioned Prof Jayaraj.

The governments should repair these points in fact equivalency and eligibility earlier than stepping on multidisciplinary programs and a number of exit and entry, he mentioned. “Rules and regulations will have to be rewritten,” he mentioned.

Several science lecturers mentioned re-entering a course is just not as straightforward as exiting as a result of the seats are restricted and can’t be elevated to take again college students.

Karnataka units the ball rolling

Officials of the Karnataka authorities, which goes forward with the implementation of NEP 2020, mentioned a number of entry and exit could be labored out if the lecturers are educated to design syllabi.

The syllabus committee ought to determine job roles for each exit after which design syllabus in accordance with that want, mentioned Gopalakrishna Joshi, government director, Karnataka State Higher Education Council.

Traditionally, the course will begin with a basis after which transfer to problem-solving within the final 12 months. With the brand new NEP, the problem-solving facets should be introduced in at an earlier stage and repeated with deepening layers of complexities. “It is called spiral curriculum, which is not popular in the world. But some are trying,” Joshi mentioned.

Prof Thimme Gowda, the vice-chairman of Karnataka State Council of Higher Education, mentioned NEP 2020 proposed a brand new idea of program-wise accreditation in order that the course doesn’t get masked by the college’s accreditation.

The assembly was attended by vice-chancellors of central universities from throughout the nation, they usually have been upbeat concerning the National Education Policy, and known as for a change of mindset to make the brand new coverage profitable.