Summary
NCC will be a 24-credit point covering six semesters.
Emphasis will be on practicals and training.
Universities in West Bengal will introduce the National Cadet Corps (NCC) as a General Elective Credit Course (GECC) with 24 credits from 2022.
Around 91 universities across India have already adopted NCC as a GECC.
The landmark decision was announced in a circular issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) after the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recognised NCC as a credit course designed by the Directorate General National Cadet Corps (DGNCC).
“We have had a series of meetings with the education department of the government of West Bengal. We hope things will be finalised soon and NCC will be offered as an elective in colleges in the state from the coming academic session,” said Major B.B. Singh, NCC Officer in 1 Bengal Artillery Battery, NCC, Fort William.
A senior official in the department of higher education, West Bengal, said the universities need time to adopt the GECC curriculum and hence would require a year’s time. “We have had a couple of meetings regarding introducing NCC as a GECC from this year. This is a very hands-on course and because of the pandemic-induced social distancing norms, that would not be possible this year. Additionally, every university has its own academic philosophy and the GECC curriculum needs to be adopted accordingly and has to be passed in its top administrative bodies such as the senate, syndicate and court. All these would take time. Hence, we would be introducing NCC as an elective in undergraduate studies from next year,” the official said.
Currently, West Bengal has over one lakh NCC cadets and 33% of them are girls. “The course will help students to stay fit, inspire them to work for the nation and would even give them a chance to land a job in the defence sector. Once it starts, we hope a lot of students will opt for it,” the official said.
The NCC GECC will be a 24-credit point covering six semesters. Students can accrue four credits in the first two semesters and 10 in the third and fourth semesters, and similarly 10 credits in the fifth and sixth semesters.
The course will have training schedules for cadets to ensure optimum benefits of the NCC. The emphasis will be on practical training. To know more about the credit course, check (https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s307811dc6c422334ce36a09ff5cd6fe71/uploads/2021/05/2021051798.pdf)
The NCC A-level course has been traditionally offered in school till Class X. In the next three years, students are able to get the B certificate. Those who successfully continue NCC for another year receive the C certificate, which is the highest.
Cadets with a C certificate are exempt from the CDS (Combined Defence Services) examination conducted by the UPSC. But for this, the cadet must have ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade in the ‘C’ certificate. NCC ‘C’ certification offers 10-15 bonus marks in paramilitary forces recruitment such as BSF (Border Security Force), CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) and SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal).
Captain Singh said the new course will add to the appeal of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force among the students. “Those enrolling for the elective course will get the option to upgrade till C certification and hence can avail of the benefits while applying for various posts in BSF, CISF, CRPF, SSB CDS and many more,” he said. “Our NCC instructors will be conducting the classes. We have the infrastructure and logistics support to cater to the colleges and universities of West Bengal and if need be, we can add to it.”
Last updated on 17 Dec 2021
