Is a 4-Year UG Programme a Bane or Boon for Students?

Navacetana Opinion Poll:

The result of opinion poll done in several whatsApp groups

vote – in favor or against of 4 years UG programme.

Total Participation: 72

In Favor: 38

Against: 34

The narrow difference between both options is somewhat confusing because arguments from both ends are strong and realistic.

In this write-up, we are discussing just their arguments, not the New Education Policy.

India previously attempted to introduce four-year undergraduate programs a decade ago, but this was only implemented by Delhi University in 2013. However, after one year of implementation, it was rolled back due to mounting protests and pressure. Opponents included students, teachers, their associations, as well as politicians.

It’s worth noting that both these programs were introduced in the year before a general election. This time, the Indian regulator, UGC, formulated the curriculum for FYUGP, with an education policy framework providing direction.

Following the guidelines of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2023, 150 universities implemented a four-year undergraduate program in the 2023-24 session, with 300 more universities joining in the 2024-25 session.

NEP 2023 Goals:
The goals are to develop creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, communication skills, vocational skills, and promote lifelong learning.

Fundamental Structural Change with NEP 2023 (for university students):
Multidisciplinary Bachelor’s Degrees: A flexible 4-year undergraduate program with multiple exit points (certificate, diploma, bachelor’s) that help students gain proficiency in a particular skill set completely.

Students can exit or enter courses anytime and be awarded their respective degree by their University accordingly. For example, in a 4-year undergraduate course, if students complete their first year, they will receive a certificate of completion, a diploma on completion of their second year, a degree on finishing the third year, and a BA (Honours) degree on completion of the full course.

In the academic year 2023-24, Goa University (GU) will be the first in the country to start the 4-year non-technical UG degrees. One Year for PG – MA would be of one year after the honours degree.

Goodbye to M.Phil.: The New Education Policy 2023 discontinues M.Phil. courses.

Favour

Those in favour think that the New Education Policy offers a wide scope of Higher Education Reforms. According to UGC, the curriculum and credit structure of this graduate program are in line with global standards, expanding prospects for Indian students seeking higher education opportunities in American and Western universities.

Against

Those against the policy argue that students now only get one year for post-graduation. Previously, students pursued a PG program after completing a 3-year degree or a 3-year honors degree. But now, to do an MA, they must complete 4 years, where the fourth-year component focuses on research methodology and research work, which were previously part of the MPhil curriculum, not even in MA.

Hence, the normal syllabus of MA, meant to be covered in 2 years, cannot be covered in one year. Some fear a lack of research facilities for 4th-year students, infrastructure shortages, teacher shortages, and a lack of funds in many colleges. They argue that there are no job or internship options available for students who enroll in research-based courses and programs.

Even changes in PhD are criticized. No publication is needed from PhD students: Prior to June 2022, it was mandated that prior to submission and award of the thesis, a PhD scholar must publish at least one first-author paper in a peer-reviewed journal (in GU, two papers were recommended) and present their research work at two seminars.

Our take

– In India, almost 99% of people consider education the only tool for securing a job. The New Education Policy should align the curriculum with job requirements.

– We have to understand that the graduation degree is just a prerequisite for further activity. It’s the competitive test, in which student appear after graduation, is always given full importance. For example a student who secured 60% marks in the degree, sitting in a competitive exam qualifies that exam, on the other hand a student with 80% fails. Seeing this, other students start thinking just to obtain the degree and put maximum effort to clear the competition. The moral of the story is that the education policy has to strengthen the value of a degree. Based on the degree, one should be able to procure a job.

In conclusion, one has to study all the facts of the New Education Policy, which is quite promising starting from the preschool level. A few key factors are Mother tongue promotion, Interdisciplinary Curriculum, Coding, and Experimental Learning, and Health Focus.

Meetu Singh