India
UGC ensures that students can obtain their diploma in two and a half years | Chennai News – Times of India
UGC chairman M Jagadish Kumar. Photo by R Ramesh Kumar
The commission would enable students to study at a slow pace and complete a three-year degree in four years, says UGC chairman M Jagadish Kumar announced in Chennai on Thursday. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Southern Zone Conference for Autonomous Colleges on the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020.
“Students who are capable will be able to complete their courses in a shorter time in the coming years. We expect them to win for six months to a year,” said Jagadish Kumar.
He said: “Despite the choice of a slow pace, a student can still take a break from the course if he or she wishes and come back later to complete it as courses have multiple entry and exit points.”
A committee headed by the director of IIT Madras V Kamakoti submitted the recommendations on accelerated and slow degrees to the UGC, which approved them on Wednesday. Jagadish Kumar said detailed guidelines will be issued soon.
On introducing four-year courses, the UGC chairman said it would bring many benefits to students. “In the fourth year they can do a number of research projects, apply for patents and publish papers. We expect the four-year bachelor’s program to be implemented across the country. Kerala and West Bengal have also introduced four-year degrees,” he added.
However, he did not give a direct answer when asked about Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the National Education Policy 2020. On the state’s efforts to come up with a State Education Policy, he said, “NEP aims to make our students problem solvers and critical thinkers to make . We want them to be competent and contribute to the growth of our country and the state of Tamil Nadu. If the goals are the same, you can call it by any name.”
On including UGC nominees in VC search committees, he said, “The matter is before the Supreme Court. All universities must follow UGC rules as court decisions state that it has supremacy over other laws. Therefore, a UGC representative must be present in the VC search committees.”
Many universities in Tamil Nadu, including Anna University and Madras University, are functioning without vice-chancellors due to the standoff between the governor and the state government over the issue. “Universities cannot function without their leaders. You need vice chancellors without much delay. They must be appointed,” he said.
On the funding crisis of state universities, he said it is the responsibility of the state government to fund them. He advised the institutions to raise their funds through means such as industrial collaborations and other means.
The UGC chairman said 20 universities were under the scanner for producing poor quality PhDs and violating norms. “We have called for all data regarding PhD admissions for awarding degrees from twenty universities. If we find any shortcomings in awarding PhD degrees, we will ban the institutions from awarding PhDs,” Jagadish Kumar said.
