CHOISE BASED CREDIT SYSTEM UNDER RASHTRIYA UCHCHATAR
SHIKSHA ABHIYAN IN HIMACHAL PREDESH: A SWOT ANALYSIS
Introduction After the implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in primary level and Madhyamika Shiksha Abhiyan in secondary level, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 3rd October 2!3 approved the "ashtriya #chchatar Shiksha Abhiyan ("#SA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for reformin$ the state hi$her ed%cation system in &ndia' (he Abhiyan d%rin$ !2th )ive *ear +lan aimed at creatin$ , ne- #niversities by convertin$ a%tonomo%s colle$es.colle$es into a cl%ster of State %niversities' Apart from this Abhiyan also aimed at settin$ %p ne- colle$es and %p$radin$ e/istin$ %niversities and colle$es' A financial o%tlay of "s' 22, ,00 crore (o%t of -hich "s !1, 222 -ill be central share) has been made in the !2th )ive *ear +lan' &n addition, allocation of "s' !,, crore in the !2th +lan for the e/istin$ scheme S%b3 Mission polytechnics -o%ld also be s%bs%med in "#SA' (h%s the total central share, incl%din$ the e/istin$ scheme of polytechnics -ill be "s' !,,22 crore d%rin$ the !2th +lan' Centre3State f%ndin$ -o%ld be in the ratio of 45! for 6orth3Eastern States, Sikkim, 7amm% and 8ashmir, 9imachal +radesh and #ttarakhand and 10530 for other States and #nion (erritories' "#SA is a ne- Centrally Sponsored Scheme spread over t-o plan periods, for improvin$ access, e:%ity and :%ality in the state hi$her ed%cation system' ;ith over 41 percent of st%dents enrolled in the state hi$her ed%cation system, there is a need for State colle$es and %niversities to be stren$thened thro%$h strate$ic central f%ndin$ and implementin$ certain m%ch needed reforms' "#SA also aims to incentivi<e States to step %p plan investments in hi$her ed%cation' (he important ob=ectives of the scheme are5 !' &mprovin$ the overall :%ality of e/istin$ state hi$her ed%cational instit%tions by ens%rin$ conformity to prescribed norms and standards and adoption of accreditation as a mandatory :%ality ass%rance frame-ork' 2' Correct re$ional imbalances in access to hi$her ed%cation thro%$h hi$h :%ality instit%tions in r%ral and semi %rban areas as -ell as creatin$ opport%nities for st%dents from r%ral areas to $et access to better :%ality instit%tions' 3' Settin$ %p of hi$her ed%cation instit%tions in %nserved and %nderserved areas' >' &mprove e:%ity in hi$her ed%cation by providin$ ade:%ate opport%nities to socially deprived comm%nities? promote incl%sion of -omen, minorities, SC.S( and O@Cs as -ell as differently abled persons' 0' Ens%re ade:%ate availability of :%ality fac%lty in all hi$her ed%cational instit%tions and ens%re capacity b%ildin$ at all levels' 1' Create an enablin$ atmosphere in hi$her ed%cational instit%tions to devote themselves to research and innovation' 2' &nte$rate skill developments efforts of the $overnment -ith the conventional hi$her ed%cation system thro%$h optim%m interventions' All f%ndin$ %nder "#SA -o%ld be norm based and f%t%re $rants -o%ld be performance based and o%tcome dependent' Commitment by States and instit%tions to certain academic, administrative and $overnance reforms -ill be a precondition for receivin$ f%ndin$' RUSA in Himaca! Prad"# 9imachal +radesh is one of the first states in &ndia to implement "ashtriya #chchtar Shiksha Abhiyan ("#SA)' &n colle$es the Abhiyan has been implemented by takin$ a ma=or shift from its earlier ann%al system to a semester system' (he shift is not only from ann%al to semester b%t it incl%des an overall chan$e in c%rric%l%m, eval%ations and even $radin$ of st%dents' (he ne- system referred as Choice @ased Credit System (C@CS) incl%des credit based co%rses aimed at providin$ st%dents -ith inter3disciplinary approach of st%dies' A typical pro$ramme str%ct%re %nder the ne- system has follo-in$ str%ct%re5 (able5 C@CS +ro$ramme Str%ct%re for a typical St%dent Semester 6o' of Ma=or Co%rses 6o of Minor Co%rses Comp%lsory A& B 9 6o' of time eval%ation of st%dent done +er Semester Assi$nment, +ro=ects etc 9o%se E/am Ann%al E/am (otal & 2 2 2 ! 2 !> 2 2, && 2 2 2 ! 2 !> 2 2, &n *ear C & !> 2, !> 01 &&& 2 2 2 ! 2 !> 2 2, &D 3 2 0 ! 0 2 &n *ear C && !2 2> !2 >, D 3 2 0 ! 0 2 D& 2 +l%s additional co%rses to complete !2 credits for the completion of $rad%ation 33 33 33 33 (he ne- system after vario%s disc%ssions and deliberations is bein$ implemented since the academic year 2!3 C !>' ;ith one year of e/perience -ith the implementation of choice based credit system %nder the "ashtriya #chchtar Shiksha Abhiyan in the paper S;O( analysis of C@CS for the state of 9imachal +radesh has been made5 Ta$!": SWOT Ana!%#i# o& Coic" Ba#"d Cr"dit S%#t"m 'CBCS( und"r RUSA STREN)TH More choice and more fle/ibility available for the st%dents &nter3Eisciplinary Approach @etter, Comprehensive and %p3to3date c%rric%l%m Eemands for &nnovative teachin$ methodolo$ies WEAKNESS Fack of infrastr%ct%re to implement the ne- approach holistically Dacancies of teachin$ cadre especially in s%b3 %rban and r%ral colle$es Fack of time and reso%rces for research Complicated +ro$ramme Str%ct%re -ith vario%s heads s%ch as Ma=or, Minor, Comp%lsory and Aeneral &nterest B 9obby &nter3colle$e variation in implementation of c%rric%l%m Fack of &nfra3str%ct%re and &( enabled net-orkin$ across the state Aaps in technical, academic and research based competencies across vario%s colle$es Fack of attention to-ards co3c%rric%lar activities s%ch as sports, 6CC, 6SS, "overs B "an$ers activities More G(eachin$H centric approach and less time for G"esearchH E/amination and eval%ation pattern %nder ne- scheme is blocka$e as colle$es remains b%sy in cond%ctin$ ho%se e/aminations (t-ice in a semester) and checkin$ of ans-er scripts ((hrice in a semester)'' &n addition to this st%dents also b%rdened -ith assi$nment and vario%s other pro=ect reports of at least 031 s%b=ects in a semester' OPPORTUNITY Creation of additional infrastr%ct%re &( enabled teachin$ practices M%ltidisciplinary approach &mproved employability of st%dents "eforms in #niversity Eatabase mana$ement of st%dents More fac%lty recr%itments to improve the st%dent 5 teacher ratio )%nd "aisin$ THREAT (ransparencies and comparability in inter B intra colle$e eval%ations' Shift of st%dents from 9imachal +radesh #niversity to-ards other #niversities s%ch as &A6O#, or other nei$hborin$ or state based private %niversities' Can lead to less interest to-ards colle$e ed%cation and more to-ards professional ed%cation )ac%lty B Staff Eevelopment &n the absence of st%dent data mana$ement the system is bo%nd to $et comple/
Aiven the fact that choice based credit system if $lobally accepted and more st%dent friendly, there is a need to look at the s%pply side of the state colle$es that they can and have capacity to offer to the st%dents' &n the absence of ade:%ate fac%lty availability and vario%s other infrastr%ct%res, $eo$raphical and other implementation bottlenecks to achieve the tr%e spirit of the system still remains at distance'