Two-course option

Flexibility is the new buzzword in the Indian higher education system. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced that students can now pursue two undergraduate or postgraduate degrees/diplomas simultaneously in the physical, online or combination modes in accordance with the National Education Policy. Is this potentially a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario for the students that can help them develop multiple skills in double quick time? Or will they simply end up neither here nor there?

Sadly, the standard of education in our universities and affiliated colleges is uneven. There are wide differences in terms of infrastructure, faculty, coursework etc. Any education reform is bound to face roadblocks unless efforts are made to raise the bar uniformly across the country. A student might remain underskilled despite getting two degrees if his institution keeps compromising on the quality of teaching. There are stark disparities not only among the states but also within a state. Even as Kerala boasts the highest literacy rate in India, only four universities from the state figure among India’s top 100 higher educational institutions, as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework-2021. Even our best universities are conspicuous by their absence from the international leaderboard. In the recently released QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, only one Indian university, JNU (No. 188), figures in the top 200 for arts and humanities. On the engineering and technology front, six of our universities are in the top 200: the IITs of Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Madras and Kanpur, and IISc Bengaluru. With the dual-degree option, as of now, being only for non-technical programmes approved by the UGC, the learning outcomes might leave a lot to be desired.

The UGC recently made Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores, and not Class 12 scores, mandatory for admission to Central universities and their colleges in UG programmes. More such steps are needed to bring uniformity in the higher education framework. The implementation of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme, which offers considerable leeway to students to choose streams, should be prioritised before opening the floodgates for twin degrees/diplomas.

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