The Ministry of Education and other stakeholders are trying to establish the ‘digital university,’ which was announced in the Union Budget for 2022, by August of this year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has endorsed the initiative, which is still in its early stages. In a Monday morning webinar, he requested the stakeholders concerned to expedite the process of establishing the institution, claiming that it will “address the problem of seats.”
The government intends to bring together numerous universities to build a digital university, which will subsequently enroll students as a single unit. The institution will provide a full range of certifications, including certificate programmes, diplomas, and degrees.
Following the Prime Minister’s speech, a panel of high-ranking officials, leaders of educational institutions, and representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) discussed the benefits and drawbacks of a digital university.
According to the University Grants Commission (UGC), there will be no limit on the number of seats available, and anyone who has completed class 12 will be eligible to enroll — a move aimed at expanding opportunities and helping India’s degree enrolment figures for 18-23-year-olds reach a target of 50% in the next 15 years.
On the other side, some of the problems include steady digital connectivity, device availability, student attention span, and online content delivery style.
Panel discussion
The two-and-a-half-hour discussion included participation from Union higher education secretary K. Sanjay Murthy, UGC chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe, IIT Madras director Professor V. Kamakoti, and Swati A. Piramal, vice-chairperson of the NGO Piramal Group, among others.
The administration has set a schedule of six months to a year to act on proposals made during the webinar.
During the discussion, the UGC proposed that the digital university’s number of seats and online programmes have no upper limit. Admission is open to everyone who has completed their 12th grade.
“The current university admissions method is one of elimination… Due to their grade point average in class 12, many good students are unable to acquire admission to the college of their choice. With [a] digital university, we will be able to address that issue… “Anyone who has passed Class 12 would be entitled to seek admission in the course of their choice,” Jagadesh Kumar said during the discussion.
He also mentioned that the commission is working on include a section on collaboration with edtech firms. “Edutech businesses will be able to collaborate with higher education institutions to offer programmes to students through their platform.” He went on to say, “We’re working on adding this into the regulations.”
The university will be governed by its own set of laws that will decide, among other things, which institutions are eligible to participate in the digital system and what courses they can provide.
The UGC will develop a regulatory framework for digital universities within the next two months, according to a presentation provided at the end of the debate, a copy of which ThePrint has seen.
In order to profit from their knowledge and implement the policy, the government has also enlisted the help of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the Piramal Foundation, which has been involved in education on the ground.
Enhancing the enrollment ratio
The goal of a digital university is to raise the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) to 50% in the next 15 years, which is the percentage of the population aged 18 to 23 who attend college.
The current GER in India is roughly 27%, according to the most recent All India Survey of Higher Education. (AISHE).
The number of students in the system declines as they proceed to higher education, according to data presented at the debate from the AISHE report 2019-20 and the U-DISE — the Unified District Information System for Education, a government database regarding schools — report of the same year.
While there were 215 lakh students in class 8, the number dropped to 84.65 lakh at the undergraduate level, according to the data. According to the presentation, the majority of undergraduates pursue bachelor’s degrees in the arts, science, and commerce, with engineering, management, and computer applications attracting far fewer students.
According to the research, there is a need to “reimagine the bachelor degree” and deliver “employment-oriented courses.”
Published By: Jaspreet Singh
Edited By: Kritika Kashyap
