University Grants Commission organises Southern Zone Conference for Autonomous Colleges on NEP

CHENNAI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) organized a Southern Zone Conference for Autonomous Colleges on 'Implementation of NEP 2020' at IIT Madras on Thursday.

The Conference witnessed the participation of academics from many institutions who discussed the various aspects of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

NEP 2020 was launched on July 29, 2020. All-out efforts are being made to disseminate the details about the Policy among various stakeholders and to ensure its implementation by the Higher Educational Institutions.

This Conference included sessions for academics on topics such as 'Thematic brainstorming by participants on implementation strategies for NEP 2020 participants' on National Credit Framework Implementation, Academic Bank of Credits, Digital Empowerment and Research and Innovation Ecosystem, among other topics.

Sessions were also held on Enhancing the Employability of the Graduates, Bhartiya Bhasha, Indian Knowledge System and Internationalization and NEP: Effective Implementation and Monitoring.

Addressing the inaugural session, Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman, UGC, said, "Access, equity and inclusivity in higher education are essential determinants of how far our students will advance, take up positions in society and excel in their respective professions. Educational institutions must ensure that higher education is affordable, fair, and supportive for our students to succeed."

"Providing students with appropriate skills and competencies is essential to help them become self-employed or gain employment. UGC is working on making the skill courses in different domains available to the students through the Swayam Plus portal", he said.

While students can take 50 per cent of the credits for majoring in a given discipline, they can complete skill courses up to 50 per cent of the remaining total credits required in a degree program such as BA, BSc and BCom. This will help the students in meeting their academic and career goals, he added.

Prof. Jagadesh Kumar said "We must promote our Indian languages as a medium of instruction

in higher education to enhance learning outcomes. For students coming from rural backgrounds, teaching in Indian languages will make education more inclusive. English can always be learnt

as a tool for communication. All technologically and economically advanced countries teach in

higher education institutes in their language."

The UGC had issued guidelines on different kinds of internships such as research internships and industry internships to the students. Educational institutions should actively collaborate with different organizations and strive to provide internship opportunities to students. Experiential learning is crucial because it allows students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world situations and prepares them for practical challenges in their careers. Internships make education more meaningful and impactful to the students.