Tezpur University introduces key National Education Policy elements

TEZPUR: “In July 2020, the Government of India introduced the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aiming at reforming the country’s education landscape. NEP is considered as a game changer in overall education ecosystem of the country due to its Holistic and Multidisciplinary approach. Understanding the need of the hour, Tezpur University has taken significant steps in implementing the NEP 2020,” Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh, Vice Chancellor, Tezpur University said this while addressing a press conference in the Council Hall of the University on Thursday.

“The NEP 2020 aspires to create a dynamic and forward-looking educational framework that would cater to the needs of an aspirational India and Tezpur University, which is currently offering 72 Academic programmes of study at the Undergraduate/Postgraduate/PhD levels through 27 Departments has introduced several components of NEP,” Prof. Singh said.

NEP has simplified many things, such as doing away with the inflexibility of the stream the students pursue. Due to introduction of Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes (CCFUP), popularly known as 4-year Degree Programme, students may opt to move from one area to another depending on individual interest and changing need felt at any given point of time. The integrated masters’ programmes of the University are synchronised with the requirements of the CCFUP integrating the 4-year degree programme within it, Prof. Singh explained.

“The University has received a request from a student from Manipur University, who would like to join a master’s programme at Tezpur University. Subject to fulfilling all the criteria, his admission will be considered under NEP,” Prof. Singh said.

Prof. Singh further explained that NEP has introduced Value Added Courses, Skills Enhancement Courses, Multidisciplinary Courses and Ability Enhancement Courses.

“In order to offer a holistic viewpoint of education to the learners, NEP has introduced certain ‘basket of courses’ for each of the categories. These courses are expected to deal with the necessary skill level a person needs to live a dignified and fruitful community life. Tezpur University has introduced 24 Value Added, 22 Skills Enhancement, 27 Multidisciplinary and 05 Ability Enhancement Courses in the Under Graduate (UG) programmes,” he said.

While appreciating the multiple entry and exit points in the academic programmes offered at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) introduced by NEP, he said that this provision shall remove rigid boundaries and create new possibilities for students to choose and learn the subject(s) of their choice.

Multiple entry and exit will pave the way for seamless student mobility, between or within degree-granting HEIs through a formal system of credit recognition, credit accumulation, credit transfers, and credit redemption. Tezpur University has implemented multiple exit and entry option in all Integrated programmes from the current academic year 2023-24. The University has also constituted an Equivalence committee for credit transfer and equate to the existing system, Prof. Singh added.

Explaining Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), which is a unique 12-digit ABC id equipped to help the learner in redeeming earned credit without any difficulty, Prof. Singh said that ABC helps learners to move from one Higher Educational Institute to another redeeming the credits earned and stored in ABC. “I am happy to share that all students at the University have been allotted a unique ABC id and this is quoted in each grade sheet and transcript. As a matter of principle grade cards are uploaded invariably after declaration of results every semester. Grade cards of all students from 2020 to 2022 have already been uploaded in the National Academic Depository (NAD),” Prof. Singh remarked.

With regard to introduction of Multidisciplinary Research, a key component of NEP, the Vice Chancellor informed that Tezpur University instituted the Centre for Multidisciplinary Research (CMDR) in the year 2020 to widen up multidisciplinary education. Advocating for teacher empowerment, Prof. Singh informed that in line with NEP, Teaching Learning Centre of the University is empowering teachers through training, re-training, refresher and orientation programmes in generic skills, pedagogic skills, discipline specific content up-gradation, ICT and technology enabled training and other appropriate interventions.

In conclusion, Prof. Singh said that the University has implemented provisions of NEP in a manner that will ensure quality education with a focus on inclusivity, innovation, and empowerment.

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