UGC Prepared Guidelines for Multidisciplinary Higher Education

According to the draft guidelines published by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the central government intends to promote the development of multidisciplinary higher education institutions offering a diverse range of courses. UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said dual degrees from IIT Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University will become a distinct possibility after the guidelines are approved. 

By 2030, the National Education Policy, 2020, envisaged at least one large multidisciplinary higher education institute in or near every district. The 'Draft Guidelines for Transforming Higher Education Institutions" to offer multidisciplinary courses aligned to this policy. Once the policy is officially approved, higher education institutions will have various ways to adopt a multidisciplinary approach.

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Providing multi-disciplinary education can elevate a college affiliated with a university to that of a degree-awarding autonomous college. In addition, colleges and universities will have the option of collaborating to offer dual degrees. Students who are accepted will be able to complete the first degree at the host institution and the second degree at the partnering institution without having to go through the admission process again once admitted. In this regard, JNU and IIT Delhi have separate strengths.

Kumar explained with an example that, if a student who is pursuing B.Tech in IIT wants to study Masters in History from JNU he/she do not need to apply separately for admission to JNU's Master's program in history. Both institutions should work together to achieve this goal. It is possible that the eligibility criteria can be determined based on CGPA. 

Besides pointing out how the country's higher education institutions are losing out in world rankings due to their single-stream nature, Kumar writes in the draft that colleges are frequently affiliated to universities that conduct examinations and award degrees. In accordance with the guidelines, colleges can form "clusters" to address the institutional weaknesses that hinder their entry into multidisciplinary education.

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As per the guidelines, this clustering will allow colleges with lesser enrollment and fewer resources to grow have access to better facilities that enables them to offer multidisciplinary programmes. According to Kumar, UGC will identify colleges and universities over the next few years that can be scaled into robust multidisciplinary educational institutions. He said that these institutions will serve as models for others across the country.

The guidelines have offered colleges the option of forming “clusters” to overcome institutional weaknesses hindering their entry into the field of multidisciplinary education. According to the guidelines, it will ensure that colleges with poor enrollment and fewer resources can offer multidisciplinary programs and can have access to better facilities for the wholesome benefit of all. 

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