The higher education reform of National Education Policy (NEP) primarily focuses on implementing the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) across colleges and universities in India, effective this year. The FYUGP, formulated after studying recommendations of various commission reports appointed by the Higher Education Department, aims to bring about radical changes in teaching, learning, and evaluation methods.
The new scheme is to be implemented from the 2024-2025 academic year, with freshly created courses scheduled to commence from July 1, 2024. The four-year degree program, which basically is a student oriented approach, emphasises the integration of aptitude development, career-oriented skills, and practical knowledge alongside theoretical learning in the classroom. The programme offers flexibility for students in choosing and studying different minor courses.
"Like every new adjustment and alteration, the FYUGP too might definitely have its negative side, but still, there are many positives that should not be overlooked. This is definitely a student-oriented approach with facilities for ambitious kids to learn any and every discipline. For instance, a physics graduate can learn pottery. Regional culture and artists will receive the appreciation they deserve,” said Prof K K Geethakumary, Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, on the introduction of FYUGP in Kerala.
From CBCSS to FYUGP
The Choice Based Credit and Semester System (CBCSS), despite its name, only provided choice at the departmental level, with teachers selecting the courses for students. There were complaints that students never received the promised choices. This is where the introduction of FYUGP becomes relevant.
Admission notifications for the four-year degree programs in most colleges and universities have already been released with a proactive approach on the part of the universities in Kerala. The adoption of a unified (common academic) calendar will ensure uniformity across the universities in Kerala, enhancing the coherence of academic studies. This helps in student transfers to any universities or colleges within Kerala, or even India, under the FYUGP. It will also facilitate simultaneous examination calendars unlike in the existing system.
Three types of degree programmes
The reform proposes three types of degrees: the newly reformed three-year degree, the four-year honours degree, and the honours degree with a research component.
UG Degree with exit option after three years
In general, none of the Kerala State Universities provide an annual exit option. Students can graduate only upon completion of three years of study. The option to pursue a two-year postgraduate program for further studies will remain unchanged.
UG Honours Degree of four years
After completing three years of study, those with career aptitude can opt to pursue Honours in the fourth year. The students must also pass in all subjects of all six semesters in the three years in order to be eligible to enter the fourth year honours programme. Students will also gain work experience during this period through skill development (vocational) courses, as well as a summer internship programme of 60 days by the end of fourth semester in the months of April and May. The first semester of the fourth year (seventh semester) will consist of regular classes. Students will also have to do projects and undergo a six month internship programme in the eighth (last) semester which will be exclusively dedicated to training. No regular classes will be conducted during this time. Students are required to complete two online courses related to their major subject. If students are not interested in pursuing projects and internships, they can opt for three online courses instead.
UG Honours with Research Degree of four years
Students interested in research can enrol for the Honours with Research programme only if they have attained 75% marks during their three years of study. A research project must be completed under the supervision of a faculty member with PhD guideship. This pathway allows direct enrollment for a Ph.D. program and eligibility to write the NET exam. As per the recent UGC norm, one has to qualify NET inorder to enter a PhD programme. Whether UG honours with NET, excluding a PG degree, makes one eligible for teaching in colleges has not yet been addressed by the UGC. Unlike regular honours degrees where the student is oriented towards special skills, they are oriented towards research domains.
Even though a three year programme is sufficient to attain a degree, the reformed three year curriculum is completely different from the traditional three year undergraduate course. It is not the number of years or semesters, but the number of credits that matter when it comes to the reformed UG programme.
Credit system
Credit is determined based on the amount of time a student must spend on a subject. Upon accumulating 133 credits over three years, students are eligible for a degree. Similarly, achieving 177 credits over four years qualifies students for an honours degree. This is applicable to universities in Kerala. In most universities outside Kerala, the minimum credit for qualifying a three year degree is 120 and for honours is 160. Universities of Kerala have set the bar a little higher.
The credits earned by the students are deposited in what is called an Academic Bank of Credits (ABCs) which is valid all over India for a period of seven years. This functions much like a bank account where the credit earned by the student is similar to money deposited in a person's bank account. Credits can be transferred between colleges and universities, enabling students to change institutions without losing their progress. Unfinished online courses may be cancelled, with credits retained, and additional credits can be incorporated into the degree. Credits for incomplete courses can also be converted into additional credits towards degree completion.
In addition to courses offered by their college, students can also take online courses from external sources to earn credits. Students can take a break between their studies as credits remain valid for up to seven years from the date of registration for a program at the university. During the break, students can choose to resume their studies at the same college or transfer to another college.
Fast track exit
If the student is able to achieve the minimum credits (133) of three years within two-and-a-half years, with the newly employed fast track system, they can exit in the N minus one (N-1; N being the total number of semesters) semester or penultimate semester (5th semester).
In the case of the four year honours programme, if the student can achieve a minimum 177 credits by three-and-a-half years, they can exit at the 7th semester. Ambitious students can thus complete their degree in two-and-a-half years and earn honours in three-and-a-half years.
Admission process
The Higher Education Department has not proposed any changes to the current admission practices. The age restriction for joining the courses remains the same. Reservation, eligibility criteria, and merit list based on index marks will continue as usual. The admission procedures for each optional subject will continue as they are currently implemented. Admissions will be facilitated through the 'ekajalakam' (single window) system in universities. The admission will be taken under the name 'UG honours', but the option to exit in the third year can be availed. Students need not necessarily select the minor(s) at the time of the admission. The admission will be taken under the name of the major which will be available for selection in the admission portal.
About the study method
Colleges and universities have established course baskets, similar to the cafeteria system, enabling students to select their preferred subjects and combinations according to their interests and career aspirations. The degree program comprises Ability enhancement Courses (General English and Additional Language), Foundation Courses (for basic idea regarding all and everything), Major Courses, and Minor Courses.
Major and minor courses focus on in-depth study. The hallmark of the four-year degree is the freedom for students to design their own degree program. After the first two semesters, students have the opportunity to change majors, and subjects studied during this period, except Ability Enhancement Courses, can be pursued as majors in the subsequent semesters based on interest. Similarly, if a subject initially chosen as a minor becomes of greater interest, it can be pursued as a major. A 10% seat increase will be implemented in every major after the completion of the first year, so that students who wish to change majors can do so seamlessly.
Each college offers various pathways designed to facilitate learning based on individual aptitudes. More details into the same will be notified to the students during the induction programme after the admission process. There will also be faculty advisors in each department to help the students with the selection of minors and other technicalities.
Exam pattern
The exam pattern will be revised to assess not only the capability to write the exams well but also the knowledge, skills, and aptitude acquired by the student in each subject. The first semester exam, according to the course coordinators, is scheduled to be conducted in the second and third weeks of December. This will be the same for all State universities in Kerala under the unified academic calendar.
Results will be published within 30 days after the exam ends. There will be a significant reduction in exam duration (to one or two hours), and various modes of assessment will be introduced, including online and offline exams, internships, video presentations, projects, quizzes, interviews, group discussions, and lectures. These changes prioritise assessing students' overall capabilities rather than merely testing their memory.
30% of the evaluation will be done internally at the colleges and the rest 70% will be done at the university level. University level evaluation will be conducted at even semesters (2,4, 6, and 8) only. Even though the question papers of all semesters are provided by the University, evaluation of odd semesters (1,3, 5, and 7) will be conducted within the departments itself.
Degrees and titles
In the FYUGP, each class may comprise students pursuing different degrees. For instance, Physics students have the option not to study Mathematics and Chemistry together. Instead, they have the option to minor in subjects such as History, Economics, Music, Malayalam, English, etc. However, experts opine that studying subjects related to majors would enhance the student's career pursuits (much like in the traditional manner). There are, in total, six minor courses and students can select one or more minors.
For instance, if a Physics major student completes the degree with a Malayalam minor, the title of their degree (acquired) would be 'BSc (Honors) Physics Major with Malayalam Minor'. If the student learns both Malayalam and Zoology as minors, the degree title acquired would read 'BSc (Honors) Physics Major with Malayalam and Zoology'. If the student selects more than two subjects for the minor courses, the names of the minors would not appear in the degree title acquired. It can also be understood that the student has selected more than two minors from the degree title. Thus, if a student wants the names of the minors to appear in the title of their degree, selection of minors should be limited to two.
If an English major student with more than two minors opts for research by qualifying more than 75% by the third year, after the honours degree, their degree title would be 'BA (Honors with Research) English Major'. If a Mathematics major student with Chemistry and Music as minors chooses to exit after qualifying three years, the title of their degree would be 'BSc Mathematics Major with Chemistry and Music'.
The FYUGP Coordinator of NSS College Pandalam (Affiliated to Kerala University), Dr Ranjith Krishnan K R, says, “The FYUGP offers students a plethora of choices and presents a superior alternative. Students can also save time if they are able to acquire the required number of credits and graduate one semester earlier. The programme also promises early results which have always been demanded by students. A curious fact is that colleges are in a healthy competition, all set to whole-heartedly welcome FYUGP with colourful and attractive brochures to reel students in. It is hoped that the programme will bring great changes and elevate Kerala's higher education system to global standards as the teaching community views the programme in a positive light.”
PG degree
Only the draft regarding the regulations of PG degree in line with the policies of NEP has been released. The current two-year PG course will remain unchanged and students who complete their three-year degree and opt to exit can enrol in this program. However, those who have completed a four-year honours degree will only need to study for one additional year in the PG program. Lateral entry is available for the final year of the two-year PG for these students. Students can also pursue PG degrees in subjects that they chose as minors in the FYUGP as well. For example, a 'BCom (Honors) Commerce with Psychology Minor' student can opt Psychology PG for higher studies. Students pursuing Honours with Research will be eligible for direct admission to a Ph.D. program without the need to complete a PG course. However, the UGC has not yet given clarification regarding whether a FYUG degree holder, with NET and PhD sans a PG degree, is eligible to teach at colleges as Assistant Professors.
State of BEd courses
The higher education department has not yet suggested this reform in BEd courses. The committee for deciding updates in the programme is still working. The decisions formed will definitely be favourable to the students and will be student centric as well, as part of the NEP.
The FYUGP aims to introduce new fields of knowledge and job opportunities related to each subject, rather than solely focusing on knowledge acquisition. In addition to classroom and laboratory sessions, industrial visits and field trips offer endless possibilities for hands-on training. Also, interesting courses like 'Curating Digital Content for New Media', 'Sports Literature' and 'Film Song Studies' (Malayalam), have occupied space in the newly revised curriculum. However, experts believe that this is all going to be a 'learning by doing' experience.
There are also voices of concern regarding the implementation of this reform. According to a professor who retired from a college under a central university, “The success of this system is dubious. People fear interdisciplinary courses; individuals are often inclined to remain within their own disciplines and engage in competition with other fields to assert superiority. Unless we change this way of thinking, the system may not succeed.”
Published: 23 May 2024, 02:15 pm IST
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