Mumbai: higher education, universities
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Innovations in curriculum
2024
Hemali Chhapia & Yogita Rao, June 23, 2024: The Times of India
MUMBAI: Equipped with autonomy and the flexibility that National Education Policy (NEP) offers, several city colleges are now coming up with courses that will help students look beyond their regular choices for undergraduate education. Tailor-made for industry requirements, these courses are slowly getting popular with students, though principals admit it may still take time to replace old favourites.In some colleges, though, innovative courses within the domain of arts, science and commerce have seen an influx of students, with traditional courses seeing a decline in cutoffs. In some others, the newer courses are yet to strike a chord. Among the newer courses, programmes in data science are a favourite.Homi Bhabha State University (HBSU) plans to introduce the concept of 'Design Your Own Degree', after breaking away from Mumbai University and becoming a cluster, with Sydenham, Elphinstone and Institute of Science as its constituent colleges. The innovative concept leverages the advantages of NE. "This programme will allow students to tailor their degree options as they progress in their academic journey, offering unparalleled flexibility and customisation in their education. These innovative programmes are designed to meet the evolving demands of industry and society, providing students with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their respective fields," said university vice-chancellor Rajanish Kamat. A total of nine new programmes have been introduced, including BSc programmes in popular streams such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science and analytics, among others.
"Colleges are offering a professional touch to courses, making students and parents realise every lecture attended, every credit picked matters and will enhance students' skills," said a UGC officer.
From climate insurance to crop insurance, Podar College's BCom in actuarial studies has been introduced keeping in mind the broad spectrum of sectors that require a deep understanding of risk management and valuation. "Risk and uncertainty are a part of life. Actuaries are needed in so many industries, from investment firms and mutual fund houses to even the agricultural space," said Podar principal Shobana Vasudevan. Similarly, the course on shipping and logistics has been introduced keeping in mind reinvigoration of the sector. The college has also established a fin-tech lab and powered it with multiple software to understand finance.
Several innovative programmes offered in institutes across the city have infused a component of hands-on training, internship and practical training in simulation labs. At Jai Hind College, the BCom (Digital Strategy) course was started after feedback from their own students. "The course will not only help students who want to start their own ventures but also the ones who want to join their family-owned businesses. Digital strategy comes handy in the corporate sector, in businesses, in every domain," said principal Vijay Dabholkar. Introduced this year, the course has seen above distinction students opting for it.
Many colleges are also blending two domains to broaden the scope of the courses. At N M College, a BCom (Economics and Analytics), now in its third year, saw cutoffs above 90% and seats were also filled up in the second list. Principal Parag Ajgaonkar said, "While we had started a BCom in economics, there was also a demand to blend it with IT skills. Students are not only learning economics, but also the latest analytic tools. These courses are aligned with industry requirements."
BSc in data science is another course being added due to demand. Kanchan Fulmali, principal, M L Dahanukar College, which started the programme, said the course is relevant, and they have managed to rope in faculty with engineering background for it.
With an increase in demand for these custom-made courses, traditional courses, except for BA, have taken a hit. "Colleges are seeing slow admissions this year in BCom and BSc as students are opting for these innovative courses. Also, there is confusion over BMS admissions. But some new courses are yet to strike a chord with students. While finance and accounting courses are doing extremely well, a few others will take time to pick up," said KES Shroff College principal Lily Bhushan.
A govt official said NEP, with autonomy, gives colleges the flexibility to offer innovative industry-oriented courses. While every autonomous college has a govt nominee on their board, there is no mechanism to ensure colleges are offering quality education with enough infrastructure and faculty. The official said, "If a college charges high fees and does not offer quality education, students will reject it. It will be survival of the fittest."
As soon as news spread that the 2024 UGC-NET exam had been cancelled by the ministry of education, affected students, teachers and others started a tweetstorm about how unfair this decision was. The exam was held on June 18 in two shifts, with the afternoon one ending at 6 pm. The very next day at 10 pm, cancellation was announced. In fact, after taking the exams, many complained about the format-multiple choice questions (MCQs) that don't really test teaching and research aptitudes - and framing of questions along with poor infrastructural facilities such as lack of clean toilets and disabled access at centres. There were also complaints about the high registration fee which ranged from Rs 350-1,150 depending on one's location. Little wonder that after bearing with all this, and sitting for exams in the intense heat, there was so much anger among students.
A lot has been already said about the disadvantages of a centralised exam as well as using a MCQ-based test, so I am not dwelling much on those. But in the backdrop of the cancellation, let's unpack what it means for the future of higher education, particularly humanities and social sciences in India.
PhD admissions delayed: In March 2024, the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, stated that the NET score would be combined with the marks obtained in the interview for admission to PhD programs. This means that these admissions will be now delayed for institutions that planned to use NET scores. These include JNU, University of Delhi and University of Hyderabad.
Foreign-degree premium: Exam cancellation sends a message that the Indian higher education system is untrustworthy. Students will take it as a sign to pursue their PhD degrees outside India, especially in Europe and the US. But this can be done only by a privileged group of people. It is not easy to get admission into a PhD program abroad, especially for those with limited access to both money and information.
What this does is create a distinction between those who have a degree from abroad and the ones who pursue a PhD within the country. People with PhD degrees from abroad can be favoured when it comes to hiring. This distinction already exists, as one can see from the profiles of recent recruits in several private universities. There is a clear preference for those with foreign degrees among private universities, especially 'white degrees'. This particularly affects students from marginalised sections. Clearing the NET exam and pursuing a PhD in India at a public university is the only choice that many have.
Marriage pressure increases: There are other associated fallouts. The Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) -which students can avail after clearing UGC-NET to fund their PhDs -has an age limit of 30. So this loss of time can affect students' chances of obtaining JRF if they are closer to the age limit. For women candidates, the cancellation has additional ramifications. As a woman enters her twenties in India, there is pressure to get married. Clearing NET and getting into a PhD program is for many a way to delay marriage. Obtaining a JRF ensures financial security and further enables women to negotiate with their families. This is especially true for women from low-income families. Since NET is the minimum eligibility criterion for getting a teaching position, it also pushes people out of the job market. Cancellation of the exam means further delay in rescheduling, result declaration and disbursal of certificates.
Setback for humanities and social sciences: This compromising situation is one more attack on humanities and social sciences - a global trend at the moment. Humanities and social sciences have been hit with fund cuts, closure of departments, job precarity and politicisation of educational spaces. Cancellation of the exam and the heightened uncertainty around it further propagates the view that it is futile to pursue higher degrees in these disciplines.
Like many others, I don't think the NET exam is a good test of one's teaching and research aptitudes. But in a country where selections can be marred by social biases, it at least creates a pretence of objectivity. For the exam itself to be cancelled is not a good sign for the Indian higher educational system. It is a direct blow to student aspirations.
Patgiri is a sociologist and teaches at IIT, Guwahati. Views are personal
