UGC Chief Interview: Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Professor M. Jagadesh Kumar held a discussion where he highlighted several aspects including the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, FYUP Programme, etc. He also plans to build overseas varsities and set up various campuses across the country as stated in an interview with IANS on December 30, 2022. Furthermore, he suggested that the newly introduced dual degrees will make global education affordable or economically reasonable for college-going students of India.
Veteran academician and UGC chief, Mr Kumar talked about various essential matters like the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), campuses/ universities of foreign countries, 6,000 vacant posts of teachers in Central Universities, New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 implementation and major reforms to be initiated in 2023 in Indian universities.
Dual Degrees will make Global Education Affordable for Indian Students: UGC Chief.
— UGC INDIA (@ugc_india) January 1, 2023
Courtesy: News18. https://t.co/bV3ImBBJSd
UGC Initiative on Teacher-Student Ratio
According to the year-end interview conducted by Indo-Asian News Service (IANS), Mr Kumar was asked about UGC’s action on improving the teacher-student ratio in central universities including Delhi University. He replied by saying that there is a significant inadequacy of quality teaching faculty in the higher education system.
As per the survey, the total number of teaching posts in Central Universities permitted under the UGC domain is 18,956, along with filled posts of 12,776 however 6,180 posts are still lying vacant. UGC constantly keeps a record of the data with the Indian universities.
UGC has also requested all Central Universities to fill vacancies as soon as possible in a mission mode. Universities are implementing mass hiring in the posts of ad-hoc faculty, guest faculty and contract faculty. A new category of positions called ‘Professor of Practice’ has also been initiated to bring the industry and other professional expertise into academic institutions.
UGC Collaboration with Foreign Nations
University Grants Commission (UGC) Chief, M. Jagadesh Kumar has taken a big step in approaching different countries across the globe in order to seek support for the promotion of academic achievements through collaborations.
He stated that as many as 49 foreign Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have united with Indian HEIs. UGC also hosted meetings with the Ambassadors and Heads of Missions from around 66 countries whose universities are eligible to join hands.
The countries included are the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, etc. Meetings with some of the US universities with the support of the Indian Mission and German universities in collaboration with DAAD were further organised to fulfil the mission.
Teacher-Student Perspective on FYUP
Mr Kumar was asked about the level of acceptance of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) in the IANS interview. He informed by saying that many Indian universities are working towards the introduction of this FYUP scheme.
Freedom has been given to them to develop their implementation mechanism or techniques with the aid of their academic and executive councils which can facilitate the students to pursue their research interests, creativity, entrepreneurship and innovative skills. As a result, this would lead to better employment opportunities in various sectors.
The FYUP is a powerful tool to execute holistic and multidisciplinary education across universities. It provides an opportunity for students to focus on their chosen major and minors. With the successful introduction of the ‘Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programme’ by the UGC, the universities will have the option of providing an FYUP and students will be able to study one or more specialised areas of interest extensively.
Some of the major rules and new policies will also be further implemented in the present year 2023 by Indian universities as approved by UGC. The option of multiple entry and exit will be granted through the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC). The launch of the National Credit Framework as a single meta-framework will combine credits from school, higher and vocational education, and experiential learning.
Also Read: IGNOU January 2023 Re-Registration Deadline Extended Till January 15, Check Steps To Apply
