This Monday marked the release of the final draft of the National Credit Framework (NCrF) for school education and higher education by the University Grants Commission (UGC). This newly released framework has been explained by the UGC chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar. In this article, you will get to know about the crucial aspects of this framework.
What is National Credit Framework( NCrF )?
According to the newly released National Credit Framework (NCrF), students can now earn educational credits through various aspects of learning, namely offline, online, or combined. This framework will be followed by all educational institutions. It is drafted in line with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP2020) that throws light on the integration of academic education and vocational learning.
To ensure lifetime learning, the NCrF offers a way to ensure uniformity between these two streams. The framework will offer students the flexibility to leave school and enroll in vocational learning. After the pandemic, there have been significant changes in the world of education, with the growing trend of homeschooling, however, earlier there was no framework to validate the students but now they will be validated by NCrF through certificates and diplomas.
How will the framework work?
Briefly explaining the credit system, Jagadesh Kumar said: “Credit is the recognition that a learner has completed a prior course of learning, corresponding to a qualification at a given level. Simply put, one credit corresponds to 30 notional learning hours in a year of two semesters. Every semester a student is required to earn a minimum of 20 credits. A student earns 40 credits in one year corresponding to 1200 notional learning hours. But students can also earn more than 40 credits in a year.”
The National Credit Framework has divided education into eight levels from Class 5 to Ph.D. level and the credits will be assigned based on learning hours wherein School education comes under Levels 0 to 4, Higher education starts from levels 4.5 to 8 and vocational training also falls under levels 4.5 to 8. Therefore, there’s a uniformity between general and vocational education that will allow the students to switch from one education stream to another.
How can the credits be earned by the Students?
UGC released the final policy document on Tuesday which states that students can earn credits based on any prior learning they have acquired including family learning, work experience, and cluster-based learning. This will allow the progression into the formal education system. As per the framework, the academic year will be defined by the number of credits the students earn that will be provided to them at the end of each academic year.
The students will be awarded the credits based on their participation in classroom projects, laboratory work, vocational education, social work, Olympiads, performing arts, and internships.
The Impact of the New Framework on the Indian education system
The National Credit Framework has broadened the scope of the credit system of educational institutions and has opened a wide range of options for students by which they can earn credits. Earlier, credits were not awarded to students based on work experience and participation in extracurriculars but now they can earn credits based on these two factors and other factors mentioned above.
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