UGC asks all Indian universities to start semesters, have grades

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all the 400 universities in India to take a "quick action" towards the semesterisation of their course curricula and grading system against the backdrop of states agreeing to adopt choice-based credit programme in colleges and universities from the coming academic session.

Most universities currently follow the numerical system of marking and the changes from the next session will now provide wider options to lakhs of students in the country. The move followed a meeting between the state education ministers and Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani in New Delhi last week.

                               

The UGC has asked the universities to introduce the choice-based credit system (CBCS) and credit framework for skill development (CFSD) from 2015-16. Under CBCS, the students will be able to pursue three types of courses - foundation, elective and core. In the new system, the students must pursue core subjects every semester and are free to pick electives from a pool of subjects unrelated to their disciplines.

The 'choice-based credit transfer' system will enable students to opt for courses of their choice, learn at their own pace, undergo additional courses and acquire more than the required credits and adopt an interdisciplinary approach to learning.

The reforms will not only provide wider options of subjects across disciplines to the students but also ensure seamless mobility across the institutions.

"In order to expedite the entire process, you may consider setting up of a working group of senior faculty members of the university which can develop a time-bound action plan for the successful implementation of the schemes," UGC chairman Ved Prakash said in a communication sent to all the Vice-Chancellors.

The UGC will also set up a facilitation cell to extend necessary assistance to the universities in their transition, he said, adding that the UGC has developed a broad template and formulated the guidelines to facilitate the implementation of the two systems.

A suggestion was also accepted at the state education ministers' conference to set up a joint working group comprising central and state government nominees to sort out the critical issues in implementing the choice-based credit system.