2022-04-14T19:43:54+05:30
Through dual degree, students will be able to plan their academic careers better and identify their passion. Image used for representation. (Photo credit: PTI)
New Delhi: Students will now be able to pursue two full-time degree programmes in physical mode simultaneously either at the same university or from different universities, UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar announced on April 12. The University Grants Commission (UGC) will soon issue detailed guidelines in this regard. UGC has framed new guidelines to help students identify their unique potential by taking different courses as part of a physical university. This will offer multidisciplinary and holistic education across domains, said Kumar.
“As announced in the new National Education Policy (NEP) and in order to allow students to acquire multiple skills, UGC is coming up with new guidelines to allow a candidate to pursue two-degree programmes in physical mode simultaneously. The degrees can either be pursued from the same or different universities,” Kumar said at a press conference.
Guidelines:
The new provision has met with criticism from academics who feel dual degree could dilute the importance of honours degree disciplines in India.
The government has announced that students pursuing higher education can opt for two full-time, that are at same-level, degree programmes in physical mode simultaneously either at the same university or from different universities from the academic session 2022-23. The decision was taken “in order to allow students to acquire multiple skills,” UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said.
The two programmes opted by students at the same time have to be of the same level. For instance, they can only pursue two undergraduate or two postgraduate, or two diploma degrees together. This is not just a dual degree, here, the student will obtain two different degrees for full-time courses.
“We can only admit 3 per cent of students in physical campuses. There have been developments in open and distance learning and online education and many universities are providing these programmes. The Commission has decided to issue guidelines which will enable students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously,” Kumar said
The programme has been conceptualised to provide flexibility to the students so that they can get access to holistic and multidisciplinary education. He said that through this initiative, “We are making it easier for the students to customise their education and increase their choice of what they want to study.” He said that through the dual degree programmes, students will be able to plan their academic careers better and will be able to identify and pursue their passion and reach their true potential.
With this programme, there will be no hard separations between arts and sciences; curricular and extracurricular activities; or vocational and academic streams. Students will be able to specialize in more than one subject of their interest area. “With this reform, a student will be able to pursue a B.Com and a mathematics degree together if the student wishes to, and if he or she is eligible to do so. The idea is to provide as much flexibility to students as possible,” Kumar said.
For now, under the Dual Degree programme, two degrees will only be non-technical courses approved by the UGC. They can be a combination of subjects from different streams, that is humanities, science and commerce, and admission will be granted depending on the eligibility of the student and the availability of programmes.
The guidelines will only be applicable to lecture-based courses, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma programmes. MPhil and PhD programmes will not fall under this scheme.
Though reports suggest that it will not be made mandatory for universities to adopt these guidelines but the commission is hoping that more institutions will allow students to pursue two degrees together.
“If a university requires a student to sit for CUET, they will have to do that, if another institution he or she is looking at does not have such a test then they will have to follow that particular institution’s admission process,” Kumar explained.
The university will have to prepare its own academic rules on the basis of UGC duel degree guidelines which will govern this arrangement. For courses that are offered by the different institutions, their respective statutory bodies will have to decide on the eligibility criteria. If a student fulfils the requirements, they will be eligible for admission to the programme. The universities will also decide on the seat allotment process.
“Once the guidelines are sent to institutions and statutory bodies, they will be free to adopt it in the manner that suits them. The process and eligibility for admission and exams will be decided by the respective institutions,” he said.
Students will be required to earn all the credits that are necessary to earn a degree, diploma or certificate. The attendance requirement for the programmes will also be decided by respective colleges and institutions, UGC Chairman said. Kumar also clarified that the students will not be allowed to use credits earned in one programme to fulfill the requirement of another programme. “Each programme has its own credit requirements and they have to fulfil that. They can use one set of credits for two degrees,” he said. There will be no concession on credit requirements.
Over the possibility of overlapping examinations, he said, “it will be up to the institutes”. If two institutions have an MoU and have decided to let each others’ students pursue two simultaneous degrees then they can work out the examination schedule easily, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
If the idea is for students to just collect degree certificates then the dual degree programme makes sense. But in the higher education space in India, one main course itself is very elaborate and difficult. There are many changes taking place that are not related to the course curriculum. The idea of dual degree programme makes no sense to me because it will no doubt end up diluting the degree programmes being offered by colleges and universities. Pursuing a single degree itself is tough. If you pick up any degree course, there is so much for a student to do. It leaves very little time for the student for anything else, let alone pursue another degree programme.
The situation in colleges right now is that almost 40 per cent of the class doesn’t attend physical classes. They make do with guide books and other test preparation material just before the exams. Most of our undergraduate students are pursuing their honours course just because they are in the need of A GRADUATION certificate, they are not seriously looking to complete the course and learn from it. By introducing them to a market of degree programmes we are only making things worse for the education system. This is not what learning is about. The focus must be on continuous teaching with no absenteeism.
With dual degree coming into focus, it is possible that absenteeism will increase manifold as students will have to choose from a set of two classrooms. We talk about teachers being absent but nobody wants to tackle the elephant in the room which is students who are absent. I have 100 students in my class, but only 50-60 come daily. With this dual programme, we will have even more students missing from classes.
The policy makers need to understand that one can’t study two subjects together. I am all for the multi-disciplinary approach of education but there has to be some semblance of sanity when a student is offered a programme. How will a double honours degree in Political Science and Business Studies do a student any good apart from confusing him about career choices in the future? If the argument is about getting to learn more within a stipulated time frame, I am sorry it is a fallacious one. When a student cannot deliver in one subject, isn’t it expecting too much out of him to perform well in two varying courses. And if performance is not a criteria, why are we not just selling the degree to him?
This idea of a dual degree programme is for those who can buy degrees and through their relationships or connections get a job. But what kind of skills will these students acquire? To pursue two degrees is going to be impossible. A student has 10 hours essentially in a day and the rest of it is spent on social media. Where do they have the time for other things let alone another full-fledged degree? This will lead to utter chaos as well.
Attending two classes in physical mode in two different colleges is going to be another cumbersome task. All a student’s time will be spent in traveling and chasing as many degrees, he is not interested in the learning. UGC is encouraging that culture which is not the right thing to do.
I am not against the multi-discipline that NEP talks about. Via the National Education Policy 2020, a student in school can take up different subjects from different streams. We are already offering them this choice in their school career, why do we need to dilute higher education? Stress should be given on a student’s ability to read, write and his analytical ability and not on dual degree.
(The author is an associate professor, Political Science, Ramjas College, Delhi University. He spoke with Shalini Saksena)
The dual degree programme introduce by the University Grants Commission (UGC) is a very progressive move and a step in the right direction. It is not the first time that we have heard of multi-discipline education, the National Education Policy 2020 did talk about multidisciplinary approach and choices being given to school students. Everything has its pros and cons but in this case there are more pros than cons. The dual degree programme will offer two-fold advantage. The first is a very obvious observation that with two degrees in offer, a student will have the advantage of learning different subjects within a stipulated time frame. With more in their armoury, the student will only end up with holistic knowledge of how things work when he goes out in the world and pursues his career. Second most important advantage of such a programme is that it will increase the chances of a student’s employability by a huge margin. If a student is pursing a degree in fashion, he can also pursue a degree in textile design. Together, these two degrees will give the student an edge over another who has a single degree.
Today, students need to be able to compete with peers worldwide. Employers are looking for people who can multi-task and have more knowledge to showcase. We have to break away from the tradition mindset and not just stick to one specialisation in our higher studies. The dual programme will be able to do this. Today, it is not enough for a student who is pursuing Bachelor of Architecture to know just about his subject and design buildings. He should also understand the real estate industry works and the economics of how things work. It is not enough for a student to know his subject alone. He should be well-versed with everything else.
(The author is associate dean, Academic Affairs, Anant National University. She spoke with Shalini Saksena)
Often ignored by history, the new museum also gives space to twice acting PM Gulzarilal Nanda
The Patidar leader had helped Congress win the highest number of seats in the 2017 assembly election since the party was thrown out of power in 1995
Dalit community as a whole started turning against Mayawati over concerns that she largely favoured her own subcaste
The Ministry says ammunition on board detonated as a result of a fire
The distrust towards India is rooted in the LTTE rebellion by the Tamil speaking population of the island nation
The opposition wants to latch on to every opportunity to pin the nascent APP government down
Congress has failed to utilise the three youth leaders it had inducted into the party fold with much fanfare long back
No political party is capable or even willing to stand up for Ambedkar’s vision of a democracy underlined by liberty, equality and fraternity
We felt the Russians would recalibrate and come back with more focus and with lessons well learnt
China’s indifference to Colombo’s present economic crisis has not gone unnoticed in Sri Lanka
States ruled by different political parties share their experiences in implementing particular schemes or programmes
The public utterance by the chief minister resonated adversely even outside the state
