TN higher edu institutes to soon begin academic bank of credit for students

ABC is an academic service mechanism established and managed by the UGC to facilitate students become their own academic account holders as a digital and online entity.

The ABC will provide students the facility to open a unique and individual academic bank account in digital form with a unique ID. A senior official from the Higher Education Department told DT Next that the system would pave the way for seamless student mobility between or within degree-granting colleges. He added that the new system will have several components such as credit accumulation, credit transfers, and credit redemption to promote distributed and flexible learning.

On credit accumulation, he said the account will enable students across the country transfer and consolidate ‘credits’ earned through courses in any of the eligible HEIs. He said credits earned would directly be transferred to the student’s account by the institution. “Credit redemption is also a process of converting accrued credits in the student’s account for the award of degrees, diplomas, and certificates by the colleges,” he added. The official said the credit system will also be a mechanism to facilitate students in choosing their own course to attain a degree or diploma/ PG-diploma while working on the principle of multiple entry-multiple exits anytime, anywhere and on any level of learning.

“The Academic Bank Credit system will also provide significant autonomy by offering an extensive choice of courses for a programme of study, flexibility in curriculum, novel and engaging course options across a number of HEIs,” he stated. On the scheme implementation, the official said participating HEIs have to amend their rules so that all institutions have a common credit awarding system. “The credits will have to be deposited in students’ academic account and would have a fully defined shelf life of at least up to five years from the date of earning the credits,” he added.