Report by Paridhi Agarwal
Before the undergraduate admissions for the session 2023-24, 105 universities including 19 central universities (CU’s) are starting the 4-year undergraduate program (FGYUP).
Central university: A central university is a university which is under (funded) by the central government. It is different from a state university as a state university is funded by the state government.
The CUs to offer the program are: –
· Delhi University
· Aligarh Muslim University
· Viswa Bharti University
· Assam University
· Silchar, Tezpur University
· Central University of Jammu
· Sikkim University
· National Sanskrit University
· Maulana Azad National Urdu University.
The other universities planning to offer this program include over 40 deemed universities,18 state-private universities (a university established through a state government by a private sponsoring body), and 22 state universities (under state governments).
Deemed University: A deemed university is a recognition granted to higher educational institutions in India, This indicates “an institution of higher education, other than universities, working at a very high standard in specific area of study” and this recognition grants “ the academic status and privileges of a university”.
What is the 4-year UG program?
The 4 – year UG program is a part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, In this program the students can take either a three year or four-year program and have the option to exit after 3 years. They will get a certificate for passing each year of studies:
Year 1: A certificate
Year 2: A degree
Year 3: A diploma
The 4th year will be for experience. A credit-based system has also been developed.
Why is it required?
Most universities in the US require a 4 year UG program. However, in countries like India a UG program is of 3 years. Hence to fulfil the requirement of 4 years students had to enrol in a master’s program resulting in a waste of expenses and time. In India, only engineering and medical degrees fulfil the 4-year requirement (an engineering degree being of 4 years, and a medical degree being of 5 years). So, with this 4-year program it will be easier for students to get admissions in the US and they will save time and expenses spent on a master’s program.
NEP (National Education Policy) 2020
The NEP 2020 is the first education policy of India in the 21st century (the first National Education Policy was first implemented in 1968 and the second in 1986). The Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education) formed a committee for the formulation of the NEP in 2017. The policy released in the year 2020 proposes the revision and revamping of all aspects of the education structure. The policy based on 5 pillars of Quality, Affordability, Equity, Access and Accountability aims at creating a new system that is aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st century education.