The Indian government is set to bring some drastic changes to its education system. One major highlight was bringing back the four-year undergraduate (UG) programs.
The National Education Policy (NEP) which was released earlier this year has shown some promising changes to the system from primary school to higher education.
The draft also recommends that the teachers should be trained and prepared for this new change, rather than just imposing the new rules. Teacher’s training was another feature that was praised considering the issues teachers had to face in the past.
The government aims to make the education standards in India at par with international standards, which is very much needed for a developing economy like India.
The students, however, won’t be forced for a 4-year program. They can enroll for a 3-year program and they will have plenty of exit or entry options. Indian students have longed for flexibility in the courses that they want to learn, which is proposed in the new draft.
The Human Resources Development Ministry said it would focus on more research in its programs. Hence, the 4 year-long programs enable students to engage in a research project which will be authorized by the Higher Education Institute.
The Indian education system is in a dire need of change
All in all, the target remains to get students involved in the classroom, outdoor activities, research projects, internships in the corporate sector and startups, skills developments and eventually improved employability.
It is expected that the cost of graduation might go up with the proposed increase with this change in the curriculum. Today it just focuses mostly on the theoretical knowledge and the curriculum hasn’t been revised for years.
Along with the NEP, the government intends to make further changes within the ministry itself. The bodies like University Grants Commission (UGC) which was founded in 1953, and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which was founded in 1945 will be dissolved under the new bill which is yet to be proposed. These will be replaced by the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).
