The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday notified guidelines for students to pursue two academic programs simultaneously in physical, online or distance education mode.
Letters to the Vice-Chancellors of all Universities and Principals of all Colleges and Institutions, university body Also requested for strict implementation of it.
In the letter, the UGC said that the National Policy on Education (NEP) 2020 states that education should be made more experiential, holistic, integrated, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner-centred, discussion-based, flexible, and more Must evolve to be experiential. Pleasant, of course.
“The policy envisions imaginative and flexible curricular structures to enable creative combinations of disciplines for study, which will offer multiple entry and exit points, thus, removing the rigid boundaries currently prevalent and providing for life-long learning. Creates new possibilities and engages centrally critical and interdisciplinary thinking,” the UGC said.
UGC Secretary Rajneesh Jain in the letter further informed the Vice Chancellors of Universities that with the rapid increase in the demand for higher education and limited availability of seats in the regular stream, several Higher Education Institutions (HEIS) have started several programs in the open. and Distance Learning (ODL) mode to meet the aspirations of the students.
This comes after UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar on Tuesday announced that the commission decided to allow students from the same university or different universities to pursue two full-time and same level degree programs in physical mode simultaneously Is.
Check the Guidelines:
- A student can pursue either of the two academic programs one in full time physical mode and the other in Open & Distance Learning (ODL), online mode or in two ODL and online programs simultaneously.
- A student may pursue two full-time academic programs in physical mode provided that in such cases, the class time for one program does not overlap with the class time of the other programme.
- Degree or Diploma programs under ODL or online mode shall be pursued only with such HEIs (Institutions of Higher Education) which are recognized by the UGC, Statutory Council or Government of India for conducting such programmes.
- The guidelines will be applicable only to students pursuing academic programs other than PhD programme. Based on the guidelines, universities may, through their statutory bodies, devise mechanisms to allow their students to pursue two academic programs simultaneously.
The UGC has been planning such a move for a long time, but went ahead with it in 2020. The commission formed a committee in 2012 to examine the idea as well, and consultations were held, but ultimately, the idea was scrapped.