UGC releases draft framework for higher education qualification

Last Updated01/02/2022

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has developed a draft National Higher Educational Qualification Framework (NHEQF)
It is part of a set of reforms envisaged by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 .
From job readiness to constitutional values, theoretical knowledge to technical skills, higher education institutes across the country will soon be brought under a new framework to assess students on a range of learning outcomes.

According to the draft of NHEQF, the higher education system is very large in size and there is diversity of institutions and programmes of study, so India needs to move towards developing a nationally accepted and internationally comparable and acceptable qualifications framework to facilitate transparency and comparability of higher education qualifications at all levels and the NHEQF is an attempt in this direction

Purpose: to bring up/elevate all HEIs to a common level of benchmarking to ensure that all institutions are providing quality education
It is characterised by six levels based on the complexity of learning outcomes.
Level 5 of the NHEQF represents learning outcomes appropriate to the first year of the undergraduate programme of study, Level 10 represents learning outcomes with greater complexity appropriate to the doctoral-level programmes of study
Parameters: At every level, the students will be assessed based on parameters, including knowledge and understanding of theory; cognitive and technical skills; application of knowledge and skills; decision-making abilities; constitutional, humanistic, ethical and moral values; employment-ready skills and the entrepreneurship mindset.
Credit system: It also fixes the number of credits required to clear the different levels of the four-year undergraduate programme, master’s degrees and doctoral degrees in line with the structure outlined in the NEP

It is based on the recommendations of Kasturirangan and T.S.R. Subramanian committees.
It lays emphasis on reforms in education at all levels from pre-primary to higher education. * Aim: to bring transformation to the education system of India in line with contemporary needs

School education: major provisions suggested under it are
Universalization of education by 2030 through 100% GER (Gross Enrollment Ratio) from pre-primary to secondary level
Open schooling system for out-of-school children.
Existing 10+2 system to be replaced with 5+3+3+4 curriculum system
Teaching in mother tongue up to class 5
Higher education: major provisions suggested under it are
Broad-based, multi-disciplinary, holistic UG(Undergraduate) education with provisions of a flexible curriculum, integration of vocational education, multiple entries and exit points with respective degrees, and also undergraduate programs in regional languages.
Academic bank of credits to enable transfers of credits between institutions
Higher education commission of India as an umbrella regulator except for legal and medical education.
Promotion of multiple languages in schools and colleges.

Engineering in regional languages: engineering degrees to be launched in regional languages in about 14 smaller institutions.
Establishment of the National Digital Education Architecture and National Education Technology Forum
Academic Bank of Credit: to keep records of the academic credits of a student

Government should work towards narrowing the digital divide in country
Allocation of funds in education should be increased
Institutional mechanism related to education needs to be strengthened
Vaccination of school going students needs to be paced up so that schools can be reopened soon
Teachers needs to be trained according to the new education pattern so that they can perform their duties well

The NEP is a remarkable strategy since it strives to make the educational system holistic, adaptable, and multidisciplinary, as well as related to the demands of the twenty-first century and the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030. In many ways, the policy's goal appears to be ideal, but the key to success resides in its implementation while overcoming all the associated challenges