New Delhi: The final draft of National Credit Framework (NCrF) for secondary and higher secondary education was announced by the University Grants Commission (UGC). In this context, the UGC Chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar described the new framework, the earning and transfer of credits.
The NCrF is a comprehensive enabling framework that applies to all regulatory bodies, all universities, and institutions of national importance. It was written in accordance with NEP 2020, the national education policy.
The framework "seamlessly integrates the credits earned through school education, higher education, vocational and skill education", the chairman stated in a statement. The NCrF seeks to integrate academic and vocational education in accordance with NEP 2020, enabling easy transitions between them for lifelong learning.
This framework was created in accordance with the NEP, will let all colleges and regulatory organizations—including prominent ones—achieve seamless integration. UGC Chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar clarified that the NCrF will establish equivalence within and between the two streams of education, providing a mechanism for their integration.
The NEP 2020 places a strong emphasis on combining general academic instruction with career and skill development, allowing for smooth vertical and horizontal mobility between the two streams for lifelong learning.
The UGC chief stated that NCrF offers this mechanism while guaranteeing equality inside and between these two educational streams.
What Credits Can Students Get?
According to Jagadesh Kumar, the credit is the acknowledgement for a learner who has finished a prior course of study that corresponds to a qualification at a specific level. In a year of two semesters, one credit equates to 30 notional learning hours.
A student must obtain a minimum of 20 credits per semester. A student can acquire 40 credits in a year, or 1200 theoretical hours of instruction. Moreover, students can also earn more than 40 credits in a year.
As per the National Credit Framework, education is divided into eight levels. The levels of education at the schools range from 0 to 4. And after finishing Class 5, a student is sent to Level 1. Levels 2 and 3 are achieved by passing classes 8 and 10, respectively.
The student will advance to Level 4 after completing Class 12. Jagadesh Kumar stated that a student will receive 160 credits in total during their time in school.
From Level 4.5 through Level 8, there are higher education levels. Levels 4.5, 5 and 5.5, which correspond to the first year, second year, and third year of a three-year bachelor's degree, respectively.
A student must acquire 40 credits every year to advance to the next Level. Level 6 is equivalent to a four-year undergraduate degree, Level 6.5 to a two-year master's degree for those with a three-year undergraduate degree, Level 7 to a two-year master's degree for those with a four-year undergraduate engineering degree, and Level 8 to a PhD.
The awarded credits when a student completes a PhD would be 8x40 = 320, he stated.
Levels of Skill and Vocational Education
From level 4.5 through level 8, education in vocational and skill fields is offered.
According to the UGC chairman, credits obtained at each level are equivalent for general, vocational, and skill education, “It will help students to quickly move from one education stream to another one by having the equivalent levels and total credits corresponding to these levels.
How to Redeem Credits Earned?
A student can obtain one of three different types of credits.
- Credits obtained after successfully completing a course of study
- Credits obtained through a programme of vocational education, training, or skill development program.
- Credit points obtained through applicable experiential learning, which includes relevant experience and attained degrees of skill or professionalism.
In a year with two semesters, one credit is equivalent to 30 fictitious hours of learning. The UGC chairman stated that the learning hours will continue to follow the parameters outlined in the NCrF regardless of the style of learning—offline, online, or hybrid.
It was decided to increase the widespread use of technology in education. Each student's accumulated credits are kept in the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) technology platform.
Every student and educational institution can retain a digital log of all the credits they have earned and accumulated over their lives with the help of ABC. Whether learning is academic, vocational, or experiential, ABC may be utilised to store it, the chairman said.
Furthermore, "NCrF also offers the possibility of creditization and progression pathways for other learnings not credited earlier for awarding a certificate, diploma, and degree for encouraging lifelong learning."
In What Ways are Credits Transferred?
For Example, an ITI graduate (2 years after Class 10) who completes an additional language course from NIOS earns the equivalent of a Class 12th diploma and an ITI-National Trade Certificate, enabling the graduate to enrol in universities like any other Class 12 graduate.
An 8th class test can be taken by a fifth-grader who has completed a certain bridge course and has 200 total collected credit points. If he passes the test, the student will be in grade 8 and be able to continue his studies in the regular classroom until the ninth grade.
Mastering a particular skill, information, or training outside of a formal learning environment is one of the additional ways of learning that can be credited. Or any other formal, informal, or non-formal modes of education, including online and distance learning.
For students with exceptional learning ability, NCrF also aids educational acceleration.
International Credit Transfers
Jagadesh Kumar said that the International equivalence and transfer of credits shall be enabled through various multilateral/bilateral agreements between respective regulators of the countries concerned.
He continued saying that NCrF would lend credibility and authenticity to the credits being assigned and earned under various programmes in India, making these credits more acceptable and transferable internationally.
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