The Draft UGC Regulations 2024 suggest bi-annual admissions for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, allow students to pursue any discipline after passing a relevant exam, and enable simultaneous degrees.
Institutions will have more autonomy over attendance requirements.
The changes aim to remove rigidity in the system and align with global standards, supporting hybrid learning and skill-based education, as emphasized in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
One provision centralizes examinations as a key qualifying criterion, which may limit flexibility.
Systemic issues like insufficient faculty, underfunded institutions, and lack of trained teachers pose obstacles to implementing these reforms effectively.
State governments may show initial compliance but may backtrack.
The academic structures in traditional institutions may resist changes like the "academic bank of credits," which allows students to take courses from different institutions.
The success of the reforms depends on significant investment in education, but the current budget allocation for higher education is 15% lower than last year, adding to the challenges.
While the draft UGC regulations offer a promising vision for flexible, global-standard education, their success depends on overcoming systemic challenges and ensuring adequate resources.
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