‘Common entrance test for central universities to take off soon’

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NEW DELHI: Multiple exit and entry scheme, technical courses in regional languages and common entrance for central universities are going to be some of the National Education Policy 2020 plans which will be implemented from this year. A 40-member implementation committee under the secretary of higher education is making the annual plans and ensuring its implementation. Amit Khare, secretary, higher education speaks to the TOI on the implementation strategy for the 2021-22 academic session.

What is the implementation plan in 2021-22?

NEP 2020 will be implemented in phases as all the higher educational institutions are not at the same level. One size fits all will not be there. Every State and university will move in the direction of NEP, but not necessarily together. For the 2021-22 academic session, we are planning about 10 new activities.

The academic bank of credit that will be ready by May-June. The outcome of the academic bank of credit will be multiple entry and exit schemes, but in the same institutions within three years. The ultimate goal is to have cluster universities where people can move from one university to another with the academic bank of credit, but not right now since the credits and their scores of different institutions including IITs are different. Third initiative is the National Research Foundation for which the approval of expenditure from the finance committee has already come. Hopefully NRF will also be in place in April or May.

What is the status of common entrance test for central universities?


The CUCET is almost ready. It will be conducted by NTA and computer based. The only issue under discussion with the UGC is the weightage. If the weightage of CUCET is kept high, then students will not take interest in school exams. Even Delhi University is thinking on those lines and looking into how much weightage should be given to class XII. Within class XII also different boards have different levels of giving marks. So, what will be the system of normalising is something that has been worked out. CUCET will only be for undergraduate programmes. Postgraduate admissions will continue as before.


The government has announced technical education in regional languages? When is it going to start? Also are the four-year-undergraduate programmes to start from 2021?

For the first year engineering courses, we are developing them in regional languages. This will be in addition to classroom teaching, which will go on in English as usual. For better understanding the students can also read the same thing in their regional language from 2021.

The four-year degree programme will take some time to develop because it is not about adding one more year to the three year and call it a four-year programme. Some will continue to offer three-year programmes for those who need not have a research oriented course.

From 2021 the four-year programme is not likely to start on a large scale. Institutions like Institutions of Eminence, which includes some of the universities like Delhi University, if they are able to design a new course then they can offer. But, if some university is thinking they will just add one year, that will not be the right way.


When is the Higher Education Commission of India Bill to be introduced?


The bill may come in the monsoon session or even later. The draft is ready. We are having discussions with UGC, AICTE and other bodies. Thereafter we will send it to all the universities because HECI will affect even the state universities and private universities. Like NEP, for HECI too we will have all India consultations because there are many issues such as should we have a centralized HECI in Delhi or should we have some regional branches, can some part of the accreditation be done regionally, what should be the structure? What representation should be given to state and private universities? Right now we are having consultation within the Central government. Next stage will be consultations with all state universities, private universities, governors who are Chancellors, and in many places the state education ministers are pro-Chancellors.



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