Summary
Colleges and universities to admit students through their respective online portals this year and not through a centralised online admission portal
National Education Policy 2020 had advocated a four-year undergraduate programme
The Bengal education department has clarified that it will introduce a four-year undergraduate programme from the 2023-24 academic year, replacing the three-year one, in compliance with the National Curriculum and Credit Framework (NCCF) recommended by the UGC.
The department also clarified that colleges and universities will admit students through their respective online portals this year, as they have been doing for a few years, and not through a centralised online admission portal.
Education minister Bratya Basu said in a text message: “The state government constituted an expert committee to examine the matter and submit the recommendation regarding the implementation of the National Curriculum and Credit Framework (NCCF)…. The expert committee has recommended the implementation of NCCF for 4-year UG courses from the academic year 2023-2024 in all government/aided/sponsored higher educational institutions in the state through optimum utilization of existing resources or self-mobilisation of additional resources, pending receipt of additional financial assistance.”
“After consulting various stakeholders and keeping the future of students in mind, it has been decided by the competent authority in the state government that the 4-year UG level programme will be introduced… from the academic session 2023-2024.”
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 had advocated a four-year undergraduate programme.
Basu said the students will be awarded degrees in accordance with the UGC’s National Curriculum and Credit Framework, which means the undergraduate courses will be offered under a four-year honours programme with an exit option after three years.
He said in a text message: “This year’s admission process in UG level courses will be conducted through a standalone online admission portal at the Institutional level, as was done during last academic session.”
The education department had in late April announced that a centralised online admission system would be rolled out at the undergraduate level from the 2023-24 academic year.
Such a system would not have required a student to take admission in multiple colleges, a practice that in previous years left many institutions with vacant seats by the time the session started.
Basu tweeted later in the day that the introduction of the four-year undergraduate programme did not mean the state government had accepted the NEP.
He tweeted: “It is being propagated that the state government has accepted the National Education Policy. This is worse than a travesty of truth. The state government has prepared a state education policy, incorporating the best of practices. The state government will soon upload the policy.
“If we didn’t start the four-year degree programme, the seven lakh students could not compete at the all-India level. In that situation, the trend of students leaving Bengal to pursue higher studies would see a jump. Those who are underprivileged would lag behind. Considering all these, we have taken this decision.
“If we continued with the three-year undergraduate programme, this would amount to pursuing anti-student policies which the Left did by dropping English from the primary level or introducing the bridge course (at the primary level)…. We are opposed to the various elements of the NEP like the 5+3+3+4 design in school education or the too much centralisation of the higher educational institutions and have not inducted these in the state education policy.”
In the proposed 5+3+3+4 system of school education, a student will spend five years in the foundational stage, three years in the preparatory stage, three years in the middle stage and four years in the secondary stage.
Asked why the department could not introduce the centralised online admission portal, an official in the education department said they decided against introducing the centralised mechanism because the four-year undergraduate programme would call for an overhaul of the seat matrix.
“Newer subjects are going to be introduced as part of the four-year undergraduate programme. We need to update our software and prepare the system accordingly. We are looking forward to the introduction of the centralised online system of admission next year.”
Last updated on 01 Jun 2023
