A student can pursue two full-time academic programmes in physical mode provided that in such cases, class timing for one programme do not overlap with the class timings of the other programmes or one in full time physical mode and another in ODL/online programmes simultaneously.
NEW DELHI: Students can now pursue two full-time degree programmes in physical mode simultaneously.Earlier in May 2020, as first reported in the TOI, the University Grants Commission (UGC) approve a proposal to allow students to pursue two degree programme at the same time,but one of the degrees has to be in the regular mode and the other either in open and distance learning or online. The regulatory authority will notify the guidelines on Wednesday, as per which a candidate can pursue two degrees simultaneously in physical mode as well as in a mix of physical and online mode either at the same university or from different universities.
“As announced in the NEP 2020 and in order to allow students to acquire multiple skills,UGC is coming up with new guidlines to allow a candidate to pursue two degree programmes in physical mode simultaneously. The degrees can either be pursued from the same or different universities,”said M Jagadesh Kumar, chairperson,UGC on Tuesday.
As per the ‘background’ stated in the guidelines “With the rapid increase in demand for higher education and limited availability of seats in regular streams,several Higher Education Institutions have started a number of programmes in open and distance learning(ODL)/mode to meet the aspirations of students…The issue of allowing the students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously has been examined by the Commission keeping in view the proposals envisaged in the NEP 2020 which emphasizes the need to facilitate multiple pathways to learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes.”
GUIDELINES ON PURSUING TWO PROGRAMMES SIMULTANEOUSLY
Objective
- No hard separations between arts and science,between curricular and extracurricular activities,between vocational and academic streams,
- To eliminate harmful hierarchies among, and silos between different areas of learning
- Enabling an individual to study one or more specialized areas of interest at a deep level
The new scheme
- A student can pursue two full time academic programmes in physical mode provided that in such cases,class timings for one programme do not overlap with the class timings of the other programme
- A student can pursue two academic programmes,one in full time physical mode and another in Open and Distance Learning(ODL)/Online mode; or up to two ODL/Online programmes simultaneously
- It is not a dual degree, but a student will get two different degrees
- Based on theses guidelines universities can devise mechanisms for allowing their students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously
- The multi entry-exit reform introduced under National Education Policy 2022 will ve applicable whether it is in the physical mode or in the online mode, whether pursuing only a single degree or two degrees simultaneously
Kumar said that in its attempt to provide to the students as much flexibility towards holistic,integrated and learner centric education and that HEIs can admit about 3% of the students in the physical campuses,”Many universities are now offering both ODL and online programmes and with the modified regulations for the online education,which we are going to announce in a couple of weeks,many top quality institutes in india will start offering online degrees also.Keeping the need of the students to provide them multiple opportunities for them to acquire knowledge from multiple disciplines, in the Commission in its last meeting held on March 31 it was discussed in great detail and the Commission has decided to issue guidelines which will enable the students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously,” adding that a combination of physical mode as well as the online mode should be used to give much more freedom to the students to acquire multiple skills.
A student can pursue two full-time academic programmes in physical mode provided that in such cases,class timings for one programmes do not overlap with the class timings of the other programmes or one in full-time physical mode and another in ODL/online mode or up to two ODL/online programmes simultaneously.
Explaning the scheme,Kumar said:”If a student is doing let’s say BA (economics) as a day scholar in the physical mode,the students will also have the opportunity to do another degree programmes of the same level in a nearby university may be as an evening programmes.So this is going to provide new opportunities to the students. In addition,a student can pursue two academic programmes,one in full-time physical mode and another in open and distance learning mode or online mode. The degree or diploma programmes under these guidelines shall be governed by the regulations notified by the UGC from time to time and they are also governed by the respective statutory and professional councils wherever applicable.”
However,some educationists believe that the same objectives could have been achieved without a new set of guidelines.”Multiple skill set should be a subset of a single degree and cannot traverse between two degrees. This decision needs a review considering that there are existing option to achieve the desired objective without a need for this new p[olicy to pursue two degrees simultaneously,” said S Vaidhyasubramaniam, vice chancellor,SASTRA deemed university.
On the attendence policy for pursuing two degrees simultaneously,the UGC head said that it will be decided by the respective universities while adopting the scheme following due approval by the statutory bodies of the institutions. “Unless the statutory bodies approved these guidelines the universities cannot immplement this.” said Kumar.
Regarding the structure of the programmes and admissions,as per the guidelines the multiple entry exit reform that UGC has introduced as per of NEP 2020 is applicable to all the programmes,whether it is in the physical mode or in the online mode, whether its single degree or two degrees simultaneously.These guidelines will be applicable to diploa, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes pursued simultaneously.
On the admission criteria,Kumar said: “If it is a physical mode admission,two simultaneously degrees.If the student is willing to go to two different universities,then the admission policy will be decided by those respective universities.And if it is an online program,as in the modified online program regulations, we have made it very clear that anybody who has passed Class XII is eligibile to join in the online programmes.”