Bengal education minister Bratya Basu criticised the draft guidelines of University Grants Commission (UGC) that proposes to allow biannual admissions at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The minister described the regulations as an attempt to privatize education.

 

The Draft UGC ( Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of Undergraduate Degree and Postgraduate Degree) Regulations, 2024 published by UGC on December 4 proposes to offer biannual admissions, flexibility in minimum credit requirements to obtain a degree and provisions to enable students pursue interdisciplinary studies by giving them option to study two courses simultaneously.

 

The Draft also proposes to allow Class XII students from any stream to pursue an undergraduate programme of their choice and UG students to join a postgraduate course provided they clear national level entrance examinations like CUET.

 

“Bengal education minister Basu posted on X : ” The Draft UGC ( Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of Undergraduate Degree and Postgraduate Degree) Regulations 2024 seems ambitious. But it is silent about its implementation. It says the entire education system will be overhauled imitating foreign models. But from where will the funds come. The ultimate goal is to push privatisation of education. This will create a situation where education will go beyond the reach of students coming from ordinary families,” the minister posted on his X handle.

 

However, UGC chairperson M Jagadish Kumar said that the Draft UGC Regulations aimed at transforming higher education by introducing more flexibility, adaptability and inclusiveness. It aims to remove rigid disciplinary boundaries and provide students an opportunity to pursue learning in diverse fields.

 

The Draft also proposes options for multiple entry and exit points and allow transition between academic levels with interim diplomas and degrees depending  on their earned credits. Students will be required to obtain minimum 50 percent of total credits on the core subject to obtain a degree and the remaining can be earned through multidisciplinary or skill-based courses. Students’ professional experiences can be considered as academic credits.

 

The Draft also proposes recognition of learning achieved outside formal learning and recognition of prior learning and encourages mobility between vocational and general education.

 

The regulations authorises higher education institutions to conduct admissions twice a year — in July – August and January-February every year.

A section of academics and teachers’ bodies have opposed the regulations and urged UGC to reconsider the decision.

 

All India Save Education Committee general secretary, Tarun Kanti Naskar said: “In the draft Regulations 2024 there is provision for student-admission twice a year – which is completely unrealistic. Provision for multiple entry and exit that was given in UG level primarily has now been extended to PG also. Whatever may be the major subject in UG level one can go for PG in any subject, even one can obtain dual degree simultaneously – all are quite absurd propositions. On the basis of ‘RPL’ how a student can get entry into higher education is not well-defined. All these schemes are being introduced in the name of learner-centric education. But these schemes would produce degrees with minimum or no knowledge. The HEIs suffer from serious lack of infrastructure, class-room and teachers, also no new teacher-posts are being created. On the other hand education budget is being slashed sharply. In this background if the new Regulation is implemented whatever discipline is there in the higher education system would be shattered”.