The process of implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 has already been set off in most of the states. Although the underlying objectives and the proposed structure of the 4-year graduation programme as one of the major shifts in education have been applauded widely, it would be a great challenge for particularly the rural colleges of the resource-limited states like the ones in the North-Eastern Region of India to implement the graduation programme in science subjects in its true perspective. To make the programme more student-centric, it now has the facility for multiple entry and multiple exit options for the students. Accordingly, a student who opts to leave the course after completion of one year will get a certificate; similarly, after two years of completion one will get a diploma, after three years, a B.Sc. degree and after completion of the entire 4-year course will get a B.Sc. with honours. Although the scheme appears very attractive and judicious for the students, there are important issues to be considered in respect of realigning and complete restructuring of the course curricula for different subjects so as to make them relevant to the changing needs.
First of all, the course syllabi have to be divided, distributed and reoriented in such a way that the contents delivered during each year can successfully inculcate some workable knowledge and skills to the students. Otherwise, a certificate or diploma awarded to a student after completion of one or two years of the course will have no meaning at all. However, it is really a matter of great concern that large scale exercises at the state, or the national level have not been sufficiently taken up during the initiation stage of implementation of the 4-year graduation programme before it is being implemented. As a result, in most cases, the related exercise has only been limited merely to splitting of the earlier course syllabi followed in the 3-year degree course to a content to be delivered in 4 years. Not much emphasis has been given on making each year’s course contents meaningful, inclusive, and self-sustaining in nature.
Another important challenge before the science colleges particularly those located in the rural, resource-limited areas of the states would be to implement the new graduation course in the 4th year, as during this year, the students are needed to be involved in research and project works, for which adequate infrastructures are not available in many colleges. For successful implementation of this, the science departments will also need additional financial support for consumables and contingencies. For effective implementation of the research-oriented curricula in science subjects, it is advisable for the graduate colleges to initiate the process of developing a tie up with universities and research institutes in their neighbourhood or an institutionalised mechanism of sharing of resources and manpower among the colleges in the vicinity. It would also be necessary to encourage the faculty members of the graduate colleges to initiate sincere efforts to acquire extramural research grants from different funding agencies which will not only strengthen the infrastructure and other facilities for meaningful involvement of the students in research but also would enhance their capabilities in teaching ensuring appropriate skill development among the students in frontline areas of scientific research. Exposure of the teachers to more frequent faculty development programmes initiated at college, university, state, and national levels, especially in the advance areas of research with the special attention to orient them to the new and emerging technologies would greatly benefit the colleges to ultimately benefit the students in their pursuit of learning.
Let’s hope that with our serious collaborative efforts and a futuristic planning, we would be able to implement the new 4-year graduate programme in the true spirit of the NEP 2020.
