State Edu Min slams UGC draft for ‘ambitious goals without means to achieve

Kolkata: State Education minister Bratya Basu has criticised the ‘Draft UGC (Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of Undergraduate Degree and Postgraduate Degree) Regulations, 2024’, published on December 4.

The draft proposes that higher educational institutions prepared to handle biannual admissions may admit students twice a year, in July-August and January-February.

It also offers flexibility in course selection irrespective of discipline, permits pursuing two degrees simultaneously, and allows direct entry into later years of UG and PG programmes. A significant proposal in the draft is the flexible duration of undergraduate (UG) degrees. The draft suggests that a UG degree may either last three or four years, with the option to enable students to move through the curriculum at faster or slower rates by earning the required credits.

The ‘Accelerated Degree Programme’ (ADP) allows students to complete a three-year degree in five semesters or a four-year degree in three years, with up to 10 per cent of intake dedicated to ADP. Similarly, the ‘Extended Degree Programme’ (EDP) lets students extend their degree by up to two semesters without a cap on student numbers.

However, Basu expressed doubts about the practical implications of these reforms. In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, he said: “The draft seems to have many ambitious goals but is silent about the means to achieve them.”

He particularly questioned the funding for such an overhaul, stating: “The idea is to overhaul the higher education system by imitating foreign models, but where will the funding come from? It seems like an attempt to silently push higher education towards becoming expensive and leaning more towards the private sector, making it unaffordable for students from average households.”

The proposed changes have also sparked concern among university faculty.

Partha Pratim Ray, general secretary of the Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA), criticised the draft’s focus on biannual admissions, stating: “Many universities are already struggling with teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure. Admitting students twice a year is practically impossible because it would mean having two batches for each course.”