All the Higher Education Institutions in India will now have an Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) which will store students' academic credits. With the introduction of this new provision, students can take a break from the undergraduate or postgraduate course and come back again within a specified period without missing the credits earned during the previous session. With ABC, the fear of wasting years is avoided.
Multiple entries and exit options, choice of subjects, choice of duration, choice of earning credits from various higher education institutions and freedom of speed will come to the students through Academic Bank of Credits Scheme (ABC).
Academic Bank of Credits Scheme (ABC) scheme is in line with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which allows students to leave or re-join a programme as per their convenience.
Key Points
·Through ABC, multiple entries and multiple exits options will be given to students for life-long learning.
·Students will have freedom of choosing the subjects. They will be enabled to design their own degrees as they will be able to choose their own bouquet of courses.
·ABC will allow students to choose a pace for their studies to complete their degrees as per their choice.
·ABC will promote access, equity, quality, flexibility, collaboration and transparency to improve the competitiveness and efficiency in India's higher education system.
·The movement of students will be based on the ‘credits' they have earned. ‘Credits' is the methodology of calculating one hour of theory/one hour of tutorial/ two hours of laboratory work per week for a duration of a semester (13-15 weeks). Credits for internship should be one credit per one week subject to a maximum of six credits, as per the UGC.
·Courses undergone by the students through the online modes through National Schemes like SWAYAM, NPTEL, V-Lab etc. or of any specified university, shall also be considered for credit transfer and credit accumulation.
·The validity of credits earned by the student will be to a maximum period of seven years or as specified separately by ABC for different subjects. Students shall be eligible to “redeem” the credits if he/she wants to re-join a programme after a gap.
·Students can choose the entire programme as per their choice. If a student does that without failing in a particular subject and earns the total credits required for a UG degree to be awarded by a university then such a degree may be specified as a Bachelor of Liberal Education (B. LE.).
The aim of ABC is, “to permit students to choose a pace for their studies along with the associated logistics and cost”. “To allow students to tailor their degrees or make specific modifications or specialisations rather than undergoing the rigid, regularly prescribed degree or courses of a single university or autonomous college,” the UGC said in an official notice.
